


Shattered Memories

by Fatal_in_Fillory



Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse), Resident Evil (Movieverse), Resident Evil - All Media Types
Genre: Albert Wesker Lives, Angst, Bottom Chris, Chris is forgetful, Infected Albert Wesker, M/M, PG67A/W does a lot, Post-Resident Evil 5, Pre Re6, RE1 References everywhere, Slow Burn, big plot, plot heavy, post RE5
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:00:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 22
Words: 101,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25963243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fatal_in_Fillory/pseuds/Fatal_in_Fillory
Summary: Chris awakens, tied up in a car with Wesker behind the wheel. He's injured and his memories are limited. What is Wesker planning? What happened to his partners? How is he going to get out of this situation?
Relationships: Chris Redfield/Albert Wesker
Comments: 49
Kudos: 207





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> *Most* of this chapter is in Italics. This won't be used in every chapter, I swear! It's simply meant to show it as a flashback!

_"So you're Chris, eh?"_

_Ricardo Irving's words pounded in the brunette's ears. He watched the ex-researcher turned black market dealer wither in pain- his transformed body quickly draining of life. Chris wanted to push for more details- Why did Irving know his name? Why did he respond in such a way to his name? Despite being in pain, the agony of death, he had chuckled at the use of Chris's name. Chris knew he should have been focusing on the name Irving let escape beforehand- Excella. The way Sheva responded, he assumed she'd heard it before. He wanted to ask where his friend was, but the words wouldn't appear as he held out the small PDA._

_"Where is this facility? Answer me!"_

_That's all that could escape his lips. He wanted to ask about the blond in the picture. Jill Valentine needed his help and all he could do was sit and focus on the way Irving said his name? For some reason, the entire mission just felt like him. If Jill was alive, Chris knew he would have something to do with it. He always had something to do with it._

_Albert Wesker._

_Chris's spine tingled at the thought._

_"Are you okay?" Sheva's accent laced her words as she asked in partial yell over the motor of the boat Josh was controlling. It pulled Chris from his thoughts of what happened nearly minutes beforehand and he merely nodded- what was he suppose to say? There was no answer that ended in 'yes' and every 'no' answer had a different reasoning behind it. He seemed to have a hundred reasons not to be okay- yet he was still focusing on his name and the thought of Wesker being involved._

_It was true, this wasn't the only mission he'd gone on where he thought Wesker was behind something. The previous times had failed ("Wesker is dead, you know that," his fellow partners would say) but this time was different. The person Irving had let slip, Excella, had to know something. Maybe she was working for Wesker, just like the mysterious cloaked person._

_The thought that scared him most was assuming both Albert Wesker and Jill Valentine were both still alive. If Wesker held her hostage and was experimenting on her…. Chris's thoughts trailed off. He would prefer her dead than be a monster and he knew she would think the same._

_"There's the boat the woman used to get away!" Sheva spoke, standing up. She pointed to the small motor boat tied to the dock they would be getting off at, which was just inside the cave Irving had told them to go through._

_Chris stood up as well and the boat docked, allowing the boat to hit the wooden platform uneasily before he actually stepped out. He held out a hand to his new partner (it was difficult for him to call Sheva his partner but he needed her if he was going to save Jill) and she took it, hopping out with him._

_"So, you two are really gonna' go through with this?" Josh asked, looking between Chris and Sheva._

_To Chris's surprise, Sheva spoke and what she said actually made sense._

_"This is not just about Jill but the Uroboros Project as well."_

_The Uroboros Project was another small detail released by Irving that Chris seemed to let slip by him. The hard part was, Sheva was right. He didn't truly expect to come to Africa and find a whole organization plotting and scheming to take over the world with some large project. He simply came for Jill. Unfortunately, he was now in deep and to save Jill, he would have to take out the whole project- whatever it was._

_Josh wanted to resend the withdrawal form to HQ and get them backup but Chris knew the two wouldn't get any. Backup always came late, sometimes not at all, and HQ didn't seem too interested in their safety. Hell, it was their job to risk their lives, right? That's what Chris told himself anyways. He was always the one playing the hero._

_When Josh drove away, Chris's stomach sank. He didn't expect the man to stay with them but nor did he expect him to leave. They had been doing rather good as a trio and with just Sheva and himself, he wasn't sure how much farther they would actually get. He didn't know what was awaiting them in those caves and he found himself hoping the next area would bring more answers than hurt- but he was always doing so listlessly._

* * *

_"The preparations are almost complete, then we can leave," Excella spoke, her eyes on the syringe in her fingers. She flicked it once with her opposite hand and put it to Wesker's arm._

_The room they were in overlooked the entire operation and everything seemed to be running smoothly enough. Wesker sat beside the CEO of Tricell's Africa division, the Italian woman who seemed to have a hold on everything. Excella Gionne had been entrusted with the vaccine, PG67A/W, to prevent the man from mutating. It kept him the slightest bit human, though the thought itself was unsettling. Being compared to the weaklings of the world weighed too much on his ego and he would not tolerate it._

_"Good," was all the man said as she stuck the needle into his skin._

_Excella watched him closely as she slowly pushed down the plunger of the syringe with her thumb. Wesker could tell, and this put him on edge more than anything, that she was looking closely for some sort of fault- a weakness. Albert Wesker was completely flawless, maybe that's why Excella tried so hard. Half of him didn't understand what it truly mattered to her if she did happen to find a flaw (which would be utterly impossible) while the other half simply didn't care. She was becoming an inconvenience to him now that Uroboros had completed and Wesker wasn't sure how much longer he would be keeping the woman around._

_Excella began into the doubt she had coming into the whole project. She was surprised Las Plagas had worked and now that Uroboros was complete, they could finally have the world they wished for. Wesker stood while she spoke, her attention at the briefcase beside her while she closed it._

_"Your position at Tricell is secure."_

_Wesker was unsure if the woman was looking for validation or was vaguely leading up to something. Either way, he was very uninterested. Just because Uroboros was complete, didn't mean all of their problems were over with. The B.S.A.A. was quickly catching on their trail and Chris Redfield wasn't one to go down easily. Unfortunately for Wesker, Excella wasn't finished speaking._

_"Oh… I have my eyes set on something much bigger," Wesker could feel her unbecoming eyes trailing him as she circled him from behind. The woman seemed to be treating the man, her superior, as her prey. Wesker internally chuckled darkly at this but externally grunted in disgust. "You'll be needing a partner, right? Someone suitable to join you in your new world. I believe-" she slipped a hand over his stomach, gently caressing it. "-I've proved myself worthy."_

_Wesker put a gloved hand to her chin, tilting it roughly to the side. A silent 'don't touch me' pushed forward from his action before he spoke in a murmur._

_"Perhaps you have."_

_The lie came between gritted teeth and within moments, Excella had pulled herself free from the dangerous man. There was a small moment when Wesker questioned whether or not Excella knew he was lying but Jill entering the room pulled him from the thought._

_"The B.S.A.A. are here," she spoke, the raven mask covering her face distorted her voice and the way she kept her head tilted down made the distorted voice darker and rebound in a silent echo._

_"It appears your old friend, Chris Redfield, has come to pay a visit," Wesker was unsure if Excella had been speaking to him or Jill, but at the mention of Chris, he looked off to the side and his chin tightened. "Do I sense concern?" Excella's Italian accent had a mocking tone and Wesker didn't take a liking to it._

_"I will not tolerate delays."_

_That's what Chris Redfield was- a delay._

_In truth, there were many reasons for Wesker to be concerned. He was concerned seeing Chris for more than a short period of time would put the P30 in Jill at risk and it had the potential to fail. Jill Valentine had become rather essential to him- not only in saving Irving but her antibodies helped create Uroboros. Without it, the 'Stairway to the Sun' flower would have been completely unusable. True, Jill and Excella were both pawns but he was working to use them to their fullest potential until he was to dispose of them. He was far from done with using Jill but Excella's time was nearing._

* * *

_The cave Chris and Sheva wandered through led to ruins with hidden puzzles that took solving to get through. He was able to figure out most of them fairly easily (though Sheva seemed rather lost) and before long, they had come to small garden. It dwelled in a cave that was connected to a facility and surrounded by Umbrella and Tricell equipment. The cave ceiling was open and the sunlight shined directly onto bright yellow flowers. Several documents and diaries told that the flowers were called Sonnentreppe or Stairway to the Sun. They were incredibly poisonous but if combined with the correct climate, it produced the Progenitor Virus._

_As they entered into the facility, of which they recognized immediately from the picture of Jill, more Sonnentreppe flowers were found in large glass tubes filled with water; however most of the tubes were shot out due to misfire from their guns. The duo finally arrived to the part of the facility where they kept the experiments and immediately began searching for Jill. A large fight ensued but once defeat came to the large experiment, Jill's holding chamber came forward._

_Chris and Sheva watched it hopefully. Chris personally didn't know what to expect. If she was in there, would he be able to wake her up from her cryostatis? What if she wasn't in there? This was the possibility that scared him. This had been the only lead for them and now they were finally there, what would happen?_

_The pod opened and the two were surrounded by white steam. The small belt that held bodies released and Chris saw the metallic holder was empty. He inhaled and exhaled slowly before shaking his head in disappointment._

_"Damn it! Where is she?"_

_The computer behind him clicked and he turned as a woman appeared on the screen._

_"Mr. Redfield," the window only showed from her mid-torso up but he could tell she had on a white dress of which her breasts were partially exposed. Her neck and ears had gold jewels hanging from them while her hair was up in a tight bun. He noticed her Italian accent as she continued to speak- "How nice to finally make your acquaintance."_

_Chris slowly began walking back to the computer, his eyes on the screen. "Who the hell are you?" He was no in the mood to be played with but she was batting him around like a cat with mice._

_Somehow she knew him and he wouldn't put it past her to be working with Wesker. This was in the back of his mind, yet no evidence had yet shown Wesker was even included in any of it. Hell, he didn't even know if Jill was alive but she was here. If she was here then Wesker had to be here- that was Chris's mindset._

_"Excella Gionne," Sheva responded, following Chris. Chris looked at her while she continued. "She works for Tricell."_

_"Nice. You've done your homework," Excella replied with a small smile._

_"An officer in the Global Pharmaceutical Consortium. Why?"_

_"As if I need to explain myself to you," Sheva seemed to hit a nerve within Excella because she then retaliated. "Although, weren't you two given orders to retreat?"_

_"So it WAS you?" Excella laughed through tight lips._

_Chris remained silent, watching the screen. Excella didn't seem the type of person that could do all of this by herself. True, she had the entire Tricell division but even then would she have the power? Chris couldn't imagine Excella at the top of the project, not if Jill was still alive and she HAD to be alive._

_"Where is Jill?" Chris broke his silence and pushed forward for answers._

_"Jill.. Even if I did know, you think I would tell you?" Excella was safe from wherever she was broadcasting from. Unfortunately, this meant she had the upper hand, but this was something Chris knew going into the mission- whoever was behind it had the upper hand._

_"Cut the crap! Tell me where she is!" Chris yelled both angrily and desperately. All he wanted was to know his friend was okay- It was getting difficult to keep himself calm and Excella's little game wasn't helping._

_"As soon as you two are done with your little vigilante mission, you should leave. There's nothing here worth throwing your lives away for," surprisingly, Chris saw a slight regretful glimmer in her eye as she spoke. The way she stated it didn't really make much sense- Jill was worth risking Chris's life for it. He knew Jill was here- maybe she was talking about whatever experiment the flowers were involved in? Either way, he knew he didn't miss the look nor the slight sadness in her tone of voice- perhaps she was regretting something herself._

_The window closed itself and the computer returned to the picture of Jill, making Chris's heart sink._

_"She's lying, she knows something," Sheva spoke though Chris saw through Excella's lie as well. It was obvious, she danced around the answers too much and was in general, enjoying her game far more than she should have been._

_"It's time to get some answers," Chris spoke in a grunted whisper. He wanted to believe his own statement but he wasn't sure if he could. He was holding onto hope that was slipping away but this was Jill- he couldn't give up just because he ran into a bit of dilemmas._

_He just couldn't._

* * *

_Several hours went by of them slowly getting through the factory that was deep within the facility. They had run on conveyor belts dodging failed experiments and large mysterious boxes going into incinerators, met several new enemies, and had to face infected people with machine guns- but they got through. It wasn't until they reached an elevator where their radios began picking up transmissions that something relating to Chris's mission happened. Chris listened as Excella spoke to someone, the voice going in and out through static._

_Albert._

_The name came in clear enough and all of Chris's suspicions were confirmed. In a single moment, Chris shot through different emotions, and eventually landed on determined. He was now more focused than ever on finding Jill, screw all of the dilemmas._

_They soon arrived to a large room with equally large test tubes (containing god knows what). To the right of where they walked in was some sort of gun mounted to the wall though through the darkness Chris couldn't see any details beyond that. To their left was a slightly darkened area where a noise was coming from and the two went towards it. Chris stalked along the tubes, his gun ready for whatever was around the corner but when he saw the man writhing in pain in a large chair, all he could do was yell out for Sheva and run forward._

_"Well, glad you could make it," the intercom system rang to life and Excella's voice reverberated around the metallic room. Chris kept his gun raised to the man but there was some sort of mist coming from behind the chair that was slightly obstructing his eyesight. Chris and Sheva observed the area around them, searching for Excella, or some sort of camera that she could use to watch them, but she quickly said "up here you two," and their eyes saw her at once._

_There was a room above the chair where Excella was standing proudly beside her bodyguard, the mysterious person in a cloak and mask. The room seemed to be some sort of control center for the metallic room it overlooked because it was one large window at least one floor above them that showed controls and some minor things Chris was unable to take in. Within moments, Chris was questioning her about Jill._

_"Jill, Jill, Jill. You're like a broken record, you know that? Just as single-minded as he said," Chris immediately knew he must have referred to Wesker. He felt the familiar tingle of his spine but remained focused on the woman. "You've spent so long trying to track down Uroboros, well, here, enjoy."_

_The man in front of them stood up and they both re-raised their guns (unaware they had lowered them) and prepared for another fight._

* * *

_The duo continued through the facility, facing infected now with rocket launchers along with machine guns. Once past a complicated lever sequence that resulted in Chris backing up Sheva to transformed monsters that resembled Lickers (reported and described by his own sister), the two finally came face to face with the woman they'd been chasing through the facility._

_The room they'd walked into was large, two floors, and had a double staircase going up to the second floor which held a door opposite of the door they'd just entered from. To the right of them was a small passageway, blocked off by an iron door. All three doors held a Tricell symbol which confirmed that this was yet another room that was part of the facility. The room was paved with stone flooring along with the walls and the cement pillars. The second floor railing was quickly deteriorating and most of it was simply broken off or gone. Chris heard the sound of high heeled shoes in front of him and it took a daft moment for him to realize the woman walking in front of them was the woman who had taunted him, lied to him, and insulted him. Within moments of walking through the door, Sheva had already noticed and was now yelling at her._

_"Excella Gionne! Stop right there!"_

_The two pulled out their guns, after just placing them in their holsters and held them up threateningly. Excella began clapping as she turned around- Chris felt that the whole situation had to have been some sort of setup. What did the woman have up her sleeve this time?_

_"Bravo!" she spoke with a smile as she continued to clap, the sound reverberating off of the walls and echoing around the room._

_"Damn it, where is Jill?" the woman was in front of Chris, two guns pointed at her- they had the upper hand now. There was no way he was going to let her go without answers._

_"Hmph!" Excella chuckled, smirking. "Jill? Maybe I'll tell you, maybe I won't."_

_Chris barely had time to think before the cloaked bodyguard of Excella's had jumped from behind her and was now attacking them. The mysterious figure landed between them, separating the two and surprising them momentarily, before the person bolted at Sheva first. Sheva had recovered quicker than Chris and was just about to point her gun at the figure when she was stopped. Chris recovered but was soon kicked and immediately became disoriented. He was kneed and fell backwards, pulling him out of his disorientation and sent him reeling into another._

_The cloaked figure turned to Sheva and side-kicked the gun from her hands before Chris was finally able to gather himself and take a shot. The shot knocked off the mask that concealed the person's identity and they stumbled for a split second before flipping backwards, dodging bullets from both Chris and Sheva. The cloak still concealed the person's eyes and clothing but Chris could tell it was definitely a woman (Perhaps it was Ada Wong, a person reported by Leon Kennedy to be working with Wesker). The mysterious woman landed in front of Excella but took a moment to hold her face and re-gather herself._

_"Stop playing around, we want some answers!" Chris yelled, his gun aimed at the woman. It was true, within moments, Sheva and Chris had lost the upper hand but he wasn't too sure they ever had the upper hand to begin with- even with two guns pointed directly at Excella who was unarmed. Now with the second person, they were just in deeper._

_"You haven't changed."_

_The voice sent chills down Chris's spine that he couldn't ignore. It was a voice that he hadn't heard since the Spencer Estate- since he'd watched Jill sacrifice herself for him. The voice was the same as it was before, cold and dark with a slight hint of an English accent._

_When Chris finally saw him, the man's tight jaw twitched into a slight smirk._

_"Wesker! You ARE alive!" Perhaps Chris was in denial of the idea, even though Excella had referred directly to him during the transmission but he was still surprised to see him, standing proudly at the top of one of the curved staircases._

_"This is Wesker?" Sheva had heard hundreds of stories and the mere mention of his named seemed to strike anger (and perhaps a bit of pain and fear) in Chris. She, somehow, expected someone much less human than the man standing across the room._

_"We last met at the-" he gave a momentary pause as he thought about it, slowly descending the staircase in front of him. He stopped as he thought but immediately continued after he spoke, "-Spencer Estate, wasn't it?"_

_Chris wanted, more than anything, to take the shot from the gun that was pointed directly at his former Captain. He knew, probably more than Sheva, it would be futile and it would be wasting precious ammo- After facing him at the Spencer estate, Chris knew how fast, strong, and powerful the man was._

_"Well isn't this one big family reunion?" Wesker reached the bottom of the stairs and then began towards the mysterious woman. "I would expect you to be happier to see us."_

_"Us…?" Chris didn't understand. Who exactly was the mysterious woman now standing beside Wesker?_

_"So slow to catch on," Wesker raised a hand to the woman and pulled the hood from her head._

_The hood hid the woman's loose ponytail of blond hair and grey eyes. It took a moment for Chris to connect everything together and realize the woman standing in front of him was a blond version of his old partner- the woman he'd seen in the picture that inspired him to go search for her;_

_Jill Valentine._

_In his realization, Chris lowered his gun, whispering her name in a half revelation._

_"Jill, it's me, Chris!" he yelled to the blond across the room._

_"What? Are you sure that's her?" Sheva's question almost insulted Chris._

_Jill had been his partner for a little over a decade. They'd faced zombies and thousands of other infected creatures. They both had gotten out of Raccoon City (not necessarily together), survived the destruction of S.T.A.R.S., and invaded the Russian facility of Umbrella together- He didn't need to be asked if he was sure the blond was Jill._

_"The one and only," Wesker announced, waving his hand behind her in a sense of introduction._

_Jill tossed off her cloak, revealing a blue battle suit, and immediately jumped forward. She shot herself at Chris, who had been too surprised to see her partner to retaliate quick enough, and kicked him back. As she fell, nearly inches away from him in mid-air, she kicked off of his body, which sent him directly into the stone floor, and shot herself into a back flip. Sheva watched Chris in horror before raising her gun to Jill. She shot at the moving target but continuously missed before Jill landed beside her and immediately disarmed her._

_Within seconds, Jill had her knees around Sheva's head, and had flipped her backwards, throwing her in the opposite direction of Chris. Jill immediately turned back to Chris, who was standing and had his gun pointed at Jill (though not intending to shoot) and grabbed his neck with her left hand, his arms being held in a twisted position with Jill's other hand. Sheva was behind Jill within seconds, a gun pointed at her temple but was repelled immediately by Wesker with a simple elbow to the shoulder, pushing her away._

_Jill was able to twist around, kick Chris in the back of the head and push him off quickly with strong force, unbalancing him. Chris and Sheva staggered back together before re-raising their guns. Chris momentarily noticed the absence of Excella before turning his attention to Wesker as he spoke._

_"Now let's finish this once and for all. I think the odds are fair, two on two," Wesker had put up two gloved fingers and motioned to both sides before turning to look at Jill. "Right, Jill?"_

_Running and hiding, that was the plan Chris and Sheva came up with. Wesker was only going to spend seven minutes chasing them around and all they had to do was survive for that long. With Wesker's speed, power, and strength combined alongside Chris's inability to shoot his partner, hiding seemed to be the best option. Every shot and melee attack was dodged by Wesker's speed. Chris was able to keep him busy while Sheva ran off and knocked Jill out, though her unconsciousness only lasted for half a minute or so._

_They somehow ended up back in the main room, having divided into the many hallways that broke off from the door to the right of the door that Chris and Sheva entered from, by the time Wesker readied to leave. He was on the second floor while Chris and Sheva aimed at him with their handguns from the first floor._

_"I expected more of a challenge after all this time, Chris. How disappointing," Wesker spoke with a slight bored edge to his voice. Sheva looked at Chris as Wesker received a call._

_He answered it and turned away. "Yes."_

_As Wesker began walking towards the door behind him, Chris urged Sheva to charge and the two went running up the stairs. At the top, they came to a halt and repointed their guns at the busy man._

_"Wesker, stop!" Chris's voice had power behind it but in all honestly, he knew he had no power in this situation. He could tell that Wesker knew it too._

_Rather than speaking, Wesker simply smiled as running footsteps approached behind the two. Sheva quickly turned but had just enough time to dodge one attack before another came, knocking her aim. Jill turned, kicked Chris back and finished by spin-kicking Sheva. Sheva landed on her back, sliding across the floor a bit as Chris was disarmed and then held in a force lock. He was on the ground, beneath Jill while she held him by his right arm that she had twisted and was in the process of trying to break._

_"Jill, come on! It's me, Chris! Snap out of it!" Chris called out to his former partner desperately._

_"Nice move, Chris," Wesker taunted, looking down at him. "-but now that your 'partner' has arrived, I'll leave you two to catch up," Wesker turned away and Chris tried again._

_"Come on, Jill! Get yourself together! Wake up! Jill Valentine!"_

_"Chr-Chris!" It was fast and quiet but Chris clearly heard his name from Jill's lips. She was struggling for control over her body and Chris could see it._

_Within seconds, her grip on the man was released and he was able to sit up, holding his right arm._

_"Jill…" he spoke as he watched the woman fight with herself, shaking her head and making grunting sounds within the struggle._

_"Remarkable! Still resisting at such an advanced stage," Chris watched Wesker pull out his small electronic device and he realized why Jill was acting the way she was. "Commendable- " he spoke through Jill's yells of pain and agony from the increased dosage of whatever Wesker had been injecting her with. "-yet futile." Jill gasped, limp on her knees, her head to the ground as she fought for air. "No more time for games, Chris. I've got work to do. Have fun watching Jill suffer."_

_"Wait!" Chris got up and ran as Wesker began into the door, which turned out to be an elevator. "What did you do to her?" The door closed quickly and Chris was unable to follow but Jill's yells quickly distracted him._

_She fought with herself a bit before she finally ripped open the top part of her battle suit, showing a small red, electronic device. She yelled louder in pain, her yells echoing off of the walls, before she moved one of her feet into a kneeling position and looked around, obviously over-taken by the drug being injected into her._

_"What's that on her chest?" Sheva asked, rejoining Chris by his side as the two watched in horror._

_"We have to get it off her," Chris said sternly, looking at Jill as she raised to her feet and looked at the two with a hunting gaze._

_Chris and Sheva came up with multiple plans and tried them all. The most dangerous one involved Chris holding Jill steady while Sheva shot the mechanical injector on her chest. The one most used by the two involved making Jill unconscious so that Chris could pull it off._

_Eventually, they were able to get it free from her, though it was connected to Jill and it put the woman through immense amount of pain. Jill ended up half passing out once it was off, her body readjusting to the lack of drug intake. Chris ran forward and called her name, landing on his knees to pull her into his lap. At the sound of her name, and Chris's voice, Jill pulled herself from her unconscious state and was able to look at Chris._

_"Are you alright?" he asked, holding her as she said his name and panted for air._

_"I'm so sorry…" she whispered._

_"It's okay," he assured her in a whisper of his own._

_"You're Sheva, right?" she asked, her gaze going to the African._

_"Yes," Sheva responded, looking down at the two._

_"I couldn't control my actions, oh, but God I was still aware. Forgive me," Jill pleaded through drained energy._

_"It's alright," Sheva assured with a small smile._

_Jill thanked her and before long, Chris was helping her stand up. Her right arm was around his shoulder and she was using him for support while he held onto her. She gathered her energy and pulled away from the man, staggering ever so slightly but speaking sternly._

_"Listen. I'm gonna be alright. You two need to stop him," she said, her tone showing her struggle to stay standing._

_"We can't just leave you here!" Chris said, stepping forward. He'd lost the woman once, losing her again was out of the question and he strongly felt that leaving her here was going to be losing her._

_"You have to! This is your only chance. If Wesker succeeds, Uroboros will be spread across the globe! Millions will die!" Jill explained viciously, her voice returning to its previous glory of stern and powerful._

_"Well yeah but-" Jill cut the man off._

_"I'm alright!" she insisted. "You need to stop him. Chris!" she grabbed onto his front as she continued. "You're the only one who can! Before it's too late," her grasp fell and she looked at him, her head shaking. "Don't you trust your partner?"_

* * *

Those were the last words Chris remembered before he awoke in a moving vehicle. It was dark and he was sitting up in the backseat of a jeep, his wrists tied behind his back. He couldn't feel the weight of any of his guns or armor and he was sure he was injured. His right shoulder and cheek both ached while his right leg stung rather badly. He could taste blood and his neck was hurting from the awkward unconscious position. It took him a moment for him to realize that his feet were also secured together and he was strapped into his seat. He ran a tongue over his lower lip to find it swelled and busted on the right, which he guessed was the reason of the chrome taste in his mouth. The windows were dark and the front windshield, disappointingly, didn't show much more than the side windows did. He realized he was behind the driver's seat as his eyes became acclimated with the darkness so he was unable to tell who was driving him.

He looked beside him to find the spot empty and looked into the passenger seat to find the same. Jill's words echoed through his mind and his heart sank. What happened to Jill? To Sheva? Did Wesker get away? Why was everything so hazy?

"What's going on?" The question was meant to come out as a shout, a sort of demand for answers (despite his position) but it came out completely different. His voice was dry and distant. His throat hurt from the attempt and his lip began throbbing.

"Look who's awake."

The voice sent shivers down Chris's spine and he realized immediately that Wesker was the one driving. Immediately, the thought of whatever happened couldn't have been good and he was beginning to realize his lack of memory would quickly turn into a problem.

The front seat visor was suddenly flopped down and Chris stared into a pair of glowing red eyes.

"Wesker."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will be updated twice a week-- Every Monday and Friday.


	2. The Mansion

The jeep Chris found himself tied up in was silent- it had been for hours. Soon after waking up, he'd pushed for answers but received only a smirking Wesker in return. He demanded, shouted, and questioned the man but nothing came of it and he eventually stopped. Chris's gaze fell on the darkened landscape outside of the window. He strained his eyes to see it but eventually renounced and sighed through the darkness. He wanted to know so much-- perhaps too much. Questions arose in his head, one after another, until he reached the point where he was repeating questions he'd already thought of.

An orange glow from the sky above them pulled Chris from his thoughts and he immediately turned to the window. He was able to see, though vaguely, the rolling fields of Africa. Surprisingly, there weren't any animals, towns, or people in sight. It was just himself and Wesker- this was an unsettling thought for Chris. It caused him to go into a sudden thinking spell of what he should and shouldn't tell Wesker if prompted. Telling him that he couldn't remember anything would be a horribly bad idea, Chris knew, but at the time, Wesker might be the only one to even know what happened to his partners. Chris internally scoffed at the ridiculousness of the thought- even if Wesker knew, he would probably lie to Chris so there was no point.

It wasn't until Wesker took a sudden turn off of the 'road' (it resembled closer to a long strip of slightly less dirt filled area than the rest of the landscape) that Chris began paying attention to where they were heading. He straightened his back, having been slumped against it to resist any more pain, and watched out of the windshield as they neared an old mine.

Several minutes passed before Wesker stopped the car and turned it off. Chris sank back into his seat, as far as the straps that overlapped across his chest would allow him to go, and Wesker got out of the vehicle. Chris watched him walk towards the mine before vanishing into the darkness within. The tied man took this as an opportunity to attempt to get released from his bondage. The dawn light was assisting greatly as he was now able to see the dried blood on the side of his upper arm and the various half-healed cuts he had along his body. His skin-tight green BSAA t-shirt had small rips through the sleeves and chest area while his off-white jeans were almost ripped completely at both knees.

The sun rose higher and Chris continued to struggle, trying to pull his hands apart from each other from the unknown material that secured around his wrists. He wasn't able to bend forward to see what his feet were tied with but he tried anyways, yanking his ankles apart and trying to loosen whatever that secured them together. He sighed and soon lost hope of getting out in the way he was attempting. Instead, he straightened himself up and began looking around the car as much as possible. It was relatively clean on the inside but definitely a safari car. The front seat had a metallic briefcase with Chris's S.T.A.R.S. knife sitting atop it. He wasn't able to locate any of his other weapons nor anything else that even hinted at the fact that this car had ever been used.

Wesker returned from out of the mine within an hour, a scowl planted upon his lips. Chris noted that Wesker's clothes were the same as he'd seen before, completely unlike Chris's ripped and torn attire. Wesker stalked over to the car and opened the door forcefully, the door hinge threatening to give way, before he slipped into the car. The car shook at the slamming of the driver's side door and Chris could hear a subtle growling under Wesker's breath.

"I'm assuming that mining cave didn't have what you were looking for," Chris's voice rang out with uncertainty.

"Do you _really_ want to push me now, Chris?" Wesker growled Chris's name threateningly but the stubborn Redfield continued.

"There's nothing for me to be afraid of. Death would be better than being tied up in a car with your worst enemy, unsure of what the hell he's deciding to do with you. If you're going to kill me, get it over with," Chris urged.

"So eager to die, Chris?" It was a question with almost no audible anger behind it. Chris almost could have guessed that the anger drained from Wesker at the plea of death but he would never assume such a thing from Wesker. Chris wasn't gullible (anymore). True, Wesker adored to see Chris in pain and the very thought of the stubborn brunet begging for death was perhaps the only thing that could, in fact, pull Wesker from an angry state but Chris didn't like the reality of the thought and dropped it.

"If my choice is between becoming one of your experiments and dying, death would be my first choice," Chris said, his gaze going out the window. "So just do it already," he finished with a small mumble.

"Wishing for death when your current fate is still unknown, pitiful," Wesker chuckled.

To Chris's dismay, Wesker restarted the jeep and quickly began into another journey to _somewhere._ It occurred to Chris that he was in the same position he was an hour prior and it just sent him into a deeper slump. He hated the idea of being at Wesker's mercy, the fact that no matter how much he fought, he knew all he had were words. Meaningless words that were useless without power and action to support them. He could threaten, yell, and question all he wanted but they both knew who had the upper hand in the situation-and it certainly wasn't Chris.

"Where are we going _now_?" Chris asked demandingly.

"You'll find it in your best interest to stop asking questions, Christopher," Chris shivered at his name and decided against pushing further for more answers.

He didn't really see much of a point in asking questions when he knew they weren't going to be answered. Everything within Chris wanted to make him push. That's what Chris did- he pushed. Chris Redfield wasn't the type of person to give up, especially in a situation where a single sign of weakness could get the man killed. In any other situation, he would be struggling, shouting- demanding, even, but at the moment in this position, he decided to stay quiet… and it killed him.

If there was anything Chris hated more than Albert Wesker, it was being under Wesker's control. This thought sent him into a spiral of flashbacks from S.T.A.R.S. It was a time when his Captain, despite being rather stern at times, still had a sense of humor and maybe even a heart (but Chris didn't want to push it). He was _human_.

Chris had to deny this thought. There was indeed a time when Chris was in denial about Wesker's entire situation. At first, he led himself to believe that Umbrella simply corrupted the man but as he continued to find out more about Wesker's past, this thought was replaced. Wesker, in Chris's eyes, was never human; he couldn't have been. If he had been, it would make it all the more difficult for Chris to accept. Chris, at a time, had to face a harsh reality that the man, Albert Wesker, that he came to know of as his Captain, his partner, and his friend was indeed just a crazed lunatic with some fantasy of taking over the world.

Chris's forehead fell against the window of the jeep, the cold glass stinging at his skin refreshingly before his eyes were able to comprehend that they were going straight for a large thicket. Chris pulled his head from the window as he fell into thought; why exactly would there be a thicket in the middle of the Savannah? They were still in Africa, right?

Chris realized he wasn't even sure if they were still in the same country. The man began wondering what other things he might not know- the day, the month? He could only hope the year was unchanging but his hope was running thin. These questions contributed to the mountain of questions swimming in Chris's mind and it was turning into a hassle just to keep track of all of them. It had gotten to the point where Chris began repeating questions in his mind, desperate to not lose sight of everything he was trying to remember.

A low growling sound erupted in the car and Chris immediately realized it was his stomach. How long had it been since he'd eaten? Food wasn't a complete necessity to him since the type of missions he was sent on sometimes called for going days without food. If he was just noticing now, how long had he been unconscious for? Too many questions were being added, and re-added, to the list and it was beginning to really bother Chris.

As Wesker descended into the thicket, Chris wondered, again, what the man could possibly be looking for. Chris knew the way Wesker's mind worked but he was no mind reader. He couldn't tell what Wesker had was a plan or if he even had one but Chris _knew_ Wesker; Wesker always had a plan. Chris continued into thought- perhaps Wesker did have a plan but it wasn't thought out like his others. Maybe, just maybe, he had possibilities and he was relying on those? That would certainly explain his anger from the mine but something still ate at Chris. The thought of Wesker being without a well planned strategy unsettled him. He couldn't see his ex-captain 'winging it'.

Chris realized there was no road for Wesker to follow through the thicket and he seemed to be going rather fast swerving in and out of trees. Chris couldn't really tell how the man driving didn't get lost but they did eventually arrived to a long, clear pathway. By this time, the sun had gone down and Chris's shoulders were beginning to stiffen and hurt. This was added to the original pain of him being injured and his shoulder was launching into becoming extremely uncomfortable. His hunger was eating at his lower stomach and, through the silence and darkness, he was _sure_ Wesker didn't need super-human hearing to hear the loud growling.

Chris was no longer able to look at their surroundings through the darkness and he was beginning to notice his injuries more as time went on. He'd found that his right knee and lower back were also wounded. Atop all of the troubles, he hadn't used a restroom in the entirety of his awakening and it was becoming another problem to add to the list.

They soon arrived to a gated entrance, though Chris could hardly see the gate, that guarded a large mansion. The gate itself had a torch on either side, burning as if Wesker had been expected- this worried Chris. With the slight luminosity the torch gave off, Chris could see half of the metal gate and half of the wall that it was connected to. Green vines with colorful flowers had latched themselves to the wall and had climbed up and over the wall completely. What was between the gate and the mansion was a mystery to Chris and he internally hoped it wouldn't stay that way- until he saw the Umbrella symbol connecting the two gates.

Wesker turned off the car and pulled the keys from the ignition, slipping them casually into his pocket. He grabbed Chris's S.T.A.R.S. knife from atop the briefcase in the passenger seat and removed himself from the car. To Chris's surprise, Wesker turned and walked in front of the backdoor, opening it to where Chris was sitting. Chris was unable to see any of Wesker's facial features and his eyes weren't showing which most likely meant his sunglasses were now fixated protectively on Wesker's nose. The moonlight was blocked out by most of the trees but Chris saw Wesker's shadow clearly. Chris attempted to reposition himself and shuffle away as he saw his own knife come into view but was immediately denied due to the straps around his torso.

Wesker bent over Chris to where his ankles were tied. Chris could feel the blade slip between his lower legs and slide down his ankles, releasing whatever had them initially. Wesker lingered momentarily, most likely fighting off the urge to stab Chris with the knife, but moved up to where the straps secured Chris to the seat.

"Why are you doing this?" Chris blurted absentmindedly.

Wesker stopped, the blade hovering between the strap and Chris's left bicep. The brunet immediately regretted it as he watched the blond tilt his head up. They were face to face, shadow to shadow, and Chris could feel the anger pouring from Wesker.

"Don't make me repeat myself, Christopher," Wesker spoke clearly and threateningly.

Wesker, hesitantly, tilted the blade against the material of the left strap and it broke instantly. Both straps broke apart, releasing Chris from the bond of the seat. Wesker's hand snaked around Chris's still secured left arm and pulled roughly. Chris fell out of the backseat and was thrown several feet from the dormant car. Wesker shut the back door and stalked towards him. Chris groaned, his previously sore shoulder now throbbing in agony. Chris was partially happy that it wasn't his right arm that Wesker had pulled on but that quickly vanished when Wesker pushed Chris forward, throwing him face first into the dirt ground. Chris let out another groan as Wesker straddled Chris's back. Chris felt the chilled blade against the edge of his wrists as Wesker cut through the bindings and his hands were freed.

Wesker moved himself off of Chris and replaced the knife in its holster before pulling the man up by Chris's right arm. Chris let out a loud cry of pain and his left hand immediately went to hold it after he was released by Wesker. Chris didn't need to strain his eyes to see Wesker's lips twist into a sadistic smirk while he placed the holster onto his midnight black pants.

"Go," Wesker commanded but Chris remained still. "I won't repeat myself-"

Chris scanned his surroundings, his gaze moving from Wesker, to the jeep, to the countless darkened trees. He didn't know where he was, he was injured, his memory was selective, he was without a weapon, and Wesker had superhuman abilities- but he was going to find a way to escape. Perhaps if Chris ran into one of the more darkened areas of his surroundings, Wesker's sunglasses would work against him and give Chris a bit of extra time to run- though it was a long shot and he didn't know how Wesker's eyes worked behind sunglasses.

"Oh, thinking of running, are you?" Wesker seemed entertained by the idea and his smirk had returned, Chris could feel it. "Well then, run. I insist," Wesker urged, stepping away. "I assure you, you won't get far," he spoke smugly.

"How can you be so sure?" Chris mumbled, slowly backing away. Wesker chuckled and removed his glasses, his red cat-eyes now glowing through the darkness.

"Do you really require an answer, Chris?"

"I won't stop fighting, Wesker!" Chris yelled. Within seconds, Wesker was behind Chris.

" _I won't stop fighting until I'm dead!"_

" _I'll just have to kill you quickly,"_

The memory flashed across Chris's mind and before he knew it, he was on the ground in between the gate and the car. His back ached more and he was sure Wesker had thrown him onto the car and he toppled off of the hood. Chris groaned, his head throbbing in pain from a mind splitting headache while, at the same time, various parts of his body were aching as well.

"You will grow tired of fighting eventually. I suppose I should have my fun while I can," Wesker was standing beside Chris who was still on the ground, his head in too much agony for him to move. His left hand was against his forehead and he was on his left side, facing towards Wesker who was now crouching to be more level with Chris. "The medical assistance you require is in that building," Wesker spoke, his arms resting on his thighs as he watched Chris writhe in pain.

"Yeah sure, with all of the Umbrella scientists. I'd rather take my chances running from you," Chris hissed.

"Is that what you think? You don't think before speaking, do you Christopher?" Wesker chuckled and straightened, replacing his glasses.

Even in agony, Chris felt a tingle crawl up his spine.

It occurred to him that the symbol on the gate was an Umbrella symbol- not a Tricell symbol. Umbrella had been obsolete for years- maybe the mansion was abandoned? If it was abandoned, why were they here? What was Wesker looking for?

"I'll tell you once more, Christopher, go or I will not hesitate to kill you."

The pain in Chris's head was slowly subsiding and he was given enough strength to push through the pain and stand up.

"You won't kill me. You need me," Chris muttered, looking at the man as he trembled into a standing position. "I don't know for what- but you need me," he said slightly breathlessly.

To his amazement, Wesker snickered and moved to the gate. Wesker pushed it open roughly and waited for Chris to walk through before following. Chris couldn't really see where he was walking but he kept his eyes on the torch that sat on the porch that led up to the front door. Between that torch and the two torches that illuminated the gate behind him, he was able to make out a stone pathway, of which he was on, and the dead weeds that lined either side of it.

Chris walked up the stone steps and onto the deck that wrapped around to the side of the mansion and most likely the back. The entrance to the mansion were large double doors that lacked any sort of knob or knocker. The doors themselves were lined with a beautiful design that was hardly visible through the insipid lighting but large umbrella symbols were clearly visible in the middle of each door. The symbols themselves looked weather worn and faded but they still angered Chris. Exactly how many different mansions could Umbrella have had a hold of? How many were still out there? With no money intake, Chris guessed none of them would actually be in any sort of business but he still had to wonder.

Chris's hand flattened on either door as he prepared himself to push. He didn't know what would await him inside but, whatever it was, he was sure it wasn't good. He took a small breath and pushed but neither door budged. He pulled his hands from the door and looked to Wesker who stepped past him. With one strong kick, they both flew open, revealing a large darkened room.

Wesker pushed his sunglasses down to the crook of his nose and scanned the room before walking in. Chris followed slowly, his eyes searching the darkness ineffectively. Chris jumped when a loud sound cracked through the room and various sconces around the double floored room lit. Several lit with no trouble while others flickered threateningly or didn't light at all.

The lights revealed an empty and broken room, closely resembling the Great Hall of the mansion that started the entire ordeal from almost a decade beforehand. Across from the entrance was a broken staircase. Various steps were crumbling and some had large stone chunks taken clear off and were laying about the room. The room had a patterned marble flooring that was also broken and shattered in several places. An unlit chandelier hung from the ceiling that exceeded the second floor and rested above the ground floor. There was a door to both Chris's left and right and he would have guessed where he knew each of them led.

"Do all of the Umbrella mansions look the same?" Chris mumbled in amazement.

"Vaguely. This was one of Spencer's mansions so yes, it has a similar layout to the one in Raccoon City," Wesker spoke as he examined a part of the wall beside the door on the right.

Chris didn't bother replying but watched Wesker examine a small part of the wall. A thought crossed Chris's mind that Wesker sincerely gone mad and it _wasn't_ just the virus in his body or the brainwashing from Umbrella when Wesker began pounding his fists into the wall. He broke through the wallpaper covered partition with ease and revealed a large safe. Wesker snickered and ripped the safe out of the wall.

Chris watched as Wesker pulled the safe door from the metal box and froze. Chris saw the anger grow in Wesker and could easily compare it to a burning fuse. Wesker let out a loud growl and the empty safe went flying across the room. It hit the opposite wall, leaving a large indentation before landing on the floor.

"I don't have TIME for this!" Wesker growled, removing his glasses and throwing them across the room as well.

Another memory flashed through Chris's mind but it went too fast and he was unable to comprehend most of it but he was sure the exact same thing happened once before- and seeing Albert Wesker so angry that he would risk the very thing that kept him the slightest bit human, appearance wise, was rare.

Wesker stood there, steaming for a moment before he straightened himself and his facial expression changed back into its calm and serious appearance. Ignoring Chris momentarily, he walked casually to where he'd thrown his intact sunglasses and returned them to his face. He cracked his neck and took a small breath before walking behind the staircase that had a set of stairs going into the basement.

"I suppose we will just have to have a look in the labs. Come, Chris."

Wesker was treating Chris like he was along for the ride or even on Wesker's _side_ ; Chris was neither of those things. He knew if he was to try to run from Wesker in his position, he wouldn't make any progress. Half of him hoped Jill or Sheva (or both) were alive and trying to find him but he wouldn't rely on that. He had to depend on himself to get out of his position and if that meant staying with Wesker until they got to a safe enough area where he could run, then so be it.

All Chris had to do was survive long enough to get into that position and he could only hope it was before Wesker was able to get into the spot where he could use Chris to his advantage.

Whatever Wesker had up his sleeve, Chris wanted no part of it.

Chris followed Wesker through multiple secret passageways, various halls, and countless rooms before finally reaching the labs. He could tell they'd reached the labs before entering because the entire layout had changed. The hallway mysteriously turned metallic and it had a large shining Umbrella symbol on the floor leading to an automatic door. The light above them made the entire area glow brightly, almost hurting Chris's eyes to walk through the area.

Wesker led the way through the automatic doors, which also had an Umbrella symbol between each door. Once he got close enough the doors opened, showing a completely trashed area. Files were askew, computers were overturned- the entire room was in complete ruins. Wesker walked through all of it and went through another door which led to a room that was completely untouched.

The metallic walls surrounded a desk with an old computer. Files were spread out across the desk but besides the emptiness, nothing was out of place. Chris could have guessed this to be his old Captain's office back at S.T.A.R.S. It looked almost the same, without all of the random Umbrella symbols, of course. There was no personality to it whatsoever and it held only the necessary items.

A sharp pain went through Chris's shoulder and he gasped lightly, his left hand reaching to hold it soothingly. Wesker looked up from behind the desk and watched Chris in pain before speaking.

"The medical supplies should still be intact. Go into the room out there and to the left should be a supply closet with a first aid kit," Wesker mumbled as he began going through the files.

"You don't think I will try to run?" Chris asked, looking at Wesker in surprise.

"Christopher, I know you better than that. You need the first aid more than you need to escape. Furthermore, you wouldn't know how to get back up to the surface. We're miles underground. I would find you before you found your way a mile up, we both know that," Wesker spoke without looking at Chris as he shuffled through the papers.

Without another word, Chris turned on his heel and went out the door. The door automatically closed behind him and he saw this to be his way out- it would be the only chance he got and he had to take it. Wesker was right, however, he needed the first aid (yet, whether it was more important than Chris escaping was rather controversial) and that's exactly what he planned on doing. He was going to deal with his wound as fast as possible and run.

Chris saw the supply closet to his left and went towards it. The door opened automatically, sliding into the wall just as Wesker's did, and he went through the doorway. He quickly grabbed the kit that sat on the wall and went into a connecting door that was a restroom. He quickly used it, relieving himself of a pain that had lingered in his stomach since he'd woken up that morning, and then began tending to himself.

The bathroom itself was completely white, shining and clean despite the appearance of the outside office. There was a row of sinks along with stalls that all looked completely untouched. Chris was rather surprised to see it without dust or without any sort of destruction but he couldn't linger- he had planning to do. He dumped the contents of the first aid box onto the counter and removed his shirt, tossing it over the side of one of the sinks. Chris examined the sprawled out contents in front of him and sighed; One bottle of first aid spray, two bandage rolls, cotton pieces, an ice pack, and various other things he probably wouldn't be using. He looked at his chest in the mirror behind the row of sinks and could see countless scratching going every which way across it. His shoulder was red with dried blood and the wound was shaped oddly- Chris couldn't think of how he could get a wound like that. At first, he thought it could be a bullet wound but after staring at it while cleaning it, he began thinking otherwise. The wound wasn't circular enough nor big enough to be a bullet, it had to be smaller than that.

Chris pressed two fingers around the wound to feel if there was possibly anything inside but within milliseconds of touching it, he hissed and pulled back. The wound was too small for him to fit his fingers inside so he, reluctantly, began painfully pushing the skin around the wound. After a bit of working it (and quickly noting to himself that he was taking longer than he'd originally intended) a small shimmering red piece of _something_ poked through the hole. He looked at it before gripping it gently with his forefinger and thumb and pulling it out.

A small sound of pain later, he held in his hand a minute piece of blood covered metal. The piece of metal was sharp and bent on the edges, showing Chris it must have broken from impact but what sort of impact? Was he in some sort of accident? He kept the metal piece in his palm while he ran it under water, rinsing it of the blood so he could take a closer look at it. He took a moment looking at before reminding himself that his time was running short. He slipped the piece in his pocket carefully and used a bit of first spray on it, disinfecting the wound. Chris then pressed a piece of cotton onto it, placed a small bit of medical tape on the wound to keep it still, and began quickly wrapping it with a bandage roll.

Chris ripped the ending piece of the bandage with his teeth after using as much as he needed, which was about half of the roll, and ended it off with another few pieces of medical tape. He made sure the remainder of his cuts weren't bad and cleaned them up quickly before checking his back. Surprisingly, his back barely had a scratch on it but it was badly bruised- maybe he had landed on something? He could only guess but now certainly wasn't the time. He pulled up his pant leg to his right knee and saw that it was badly scraped and dried blood was sitting around this wound as well. He quickly cleaned it and sprayed another bit of the first aid spray- the cans never seemed to hold too much disinfectant so he had already used the can. Chris bandaged the wound and checked the rest of his body to no avail.

Chris didn't bother putting the remainder of the first aid kit back together but did take a moment to look at his swollen and bruised cheek. He frowned and had a sneaking suspicion it was from Wesker but had no memory to back up the accusation. He shrugged and quickly made his way out of the bathroom and storage closet, pulling his shirt on in the process of leaving.

Chris was surprised to see Wesker standing outside the door, a file in his hand and his eyes reading over the contents inside. Wesker's sunglasses sat in his left hand while the file was in his right and Chris felt it odd to see Wesker without his sunglasses but found it better not to dwell. He never really understood why Wesker was so keen on having the damn things; even in S.T.A.R.S. the man wouldn't be caught without them. Chris had only seen Wesker's _real_ eyes on one occasion and he remembered it in immense detail.

_Being woken up at three in the morning was something Chris definitely wasn't accustom to, especially considering he worked until almost one as it was (thanks to the mountain of paperwork). Both Chris and his captain had spent a large time after-hours going through the latest cases. They all seemed to have one thing in common and Chris couldn't deny the sneaking suspicion crawling around in his stomach. All of the cases had something to do with the pharmaceutical company Umbrella. In fact, they were all cases involving Umbrella employees (or ex-employees) going insane in one way or another._

_In one case, a woman had run out of her home, half naked, waving a gun around. S.T.A.R.S. wasn't called in until she began_ biting _people despite having a gun. They attempted to talk her down but it was ineffective and they ended up killing her. Well, Captain Wesker took the shot (much before Chris intended to) but he was also at the ready as the woman had been seconds away from attacking Chris._

_In other words, Chris's Captain had saved him and, as a return favor, he had helped him with the paperwork._

_True, both Alpha and Bravo team dealt with paperwork but Chris took on far much more than anyone else specifically to help Wesker. Wesker always seemed stressed, Chris just liked to help loosen the load on the man. Chris had no_ _**real** _ _obligations- He lived alone, no girlfriend, his sister Claire was busy finishing college, and his only real responsibility was his work._

_At the moment, however, he was seriously regretting ever helping the man. He was in the passenger seat of the car Wesker had picked him up in. Wesker wasn't able to contact any other of the Alpha team members and it was up to Enrico to gather Bravo team._

" _Why do all of the sociopaths and idiots have to come out at night?" Chris mumbled, rubbing his eyes in attempts to keep himself awake._

" _You cannot expect these people to work around your schedule, Redfield," Wesker spoke._

_Even the calm, cool, and collected Captain seemed rather tired- Chris had never really seen that side of Wesker before._

_True, the man always looked stressed and sometimes absolutely on edge but he'd never looked tired. This simple fact told Chris that the man may have had problems but they certainly weren't worth losing sleep over- that would jeopardize his career and maybe his own life. Chris respected his Captain highly and this was one of the reasons why- Wesker would do anything to avoid endangering his career or the people he was responsible for. Despite the cold exterior, Chris could almost guess that Wesker might have liked Alpha team but it could have also been due to his high tolerance (which seemed to run thin when it came to Chris)._

" _I told you not to call me that, Captain," Chris mumbled sleepily. His hand supported his limp head while his elbow rested on the window sill._

" _It's unprofessional to refer to you by your first name, Christopher," Chris could hear the forced name through Wesker's lips and almost laughed._

" _I told you not to call me that either," Chris repeated, looking towards the driver. "Just 'Chris'."_

" _I believe I'll just continue to call you Redfield," Wesker spoke as they turned down a dark and abandoned street._

" _When you picked me up, you weren't too informative on what this is all about. What's the situation, exactly?" Chris asked, sitting up as flashing sirens came into view from a distance._

" _Another Umbrella employee situation but this time, the employee has a full room of hostages. At the moment, I don't have a name or the number of hostages but I was also rather ill informed due to the nature of the emergency. Unfortunately, I believe we'll be the only two to show up at the scene," Captain Wesker explained as he stopped the car._

" _Wait, the only two in Alpha team or-"_

" _We're the only two coming at all. I was unable to successfully get in contact with Marini and even if he gets the messages I left, he would still need to gather the entire Bravo team," Wesker continued as he repositioned his glasses on his face._

" _Then why did you pick me up but not anyone else?" Chris asked as Wesker got out of the car._

_Wesker bent down to look at Chris from the open door of the driver's side and smirked slightly when he spoke- "You ask too many questions, Redfield."_

_The driver's side door to Wesker's black Mercedes-Benz closed and Chris sighed with a small chuckle. He unhooked his seatbelt and opened the door, sliding out and closing it behind him before joining Wesker outside of the scene._

_Within minutes, Wesker was updated on the situation and the two of them were geared and inside the facility. From the first floor, the two could hear the man, who's name was Ed Fisher, yelling from the second floor area. Within minutes after that, Wesker and Chris both had guns pointed at the ex-researcher while he dramatically claimed that Umbrella was going to kill him. After failed attempts of talking the man into put the gun down, they began trying to make a deal._

" _You know they have people- people undercover in the police force! In S.T.A.R.S.! I heard it, you know! I heard them talking-" He was rambling senselessly, the gun in his hand that pointed towards one hostage in particular was shaking uncontrollably and Chris had the overwhelming feeling he was going to soon lose control over his body._

" _We will have to look into that, Doctor Fisher, but you're going to need to put the gun down," Chris pushed, his handgun pointed directly at Fisher._

" _I already told you I'm not putting my gun down!" He yelled, his gun hand shaking violently._

" _Alright. Why don't we make a deal? If you leave the room, you can keep the gun and we won't arrest you," Wesker suggested. "We just want these nice, innocent people to come out alive and uninjured."_

_The man thought about it, his gaze going from the two S.T.A.R.S. members back to the office full of hostages._

_There must have been several police squads waiting outside of the building, ready to apprehend him. The main goal was to get the gun pointed somewhere other than the hostages. The Umbrella building they were inside had to have been five to ten stories high with countless offices. The entire building was currently vacant, excluding the office full of people, and most of the officers were afraid to enter the building because of the death threats they'd received through phone whilst trying to contact him. According to the officer that had updated the two S.T.A.R.S members, Fisher had claimed if he had anyone but S.T.A.R.S enter the building, he would shoot everyone._

" _A-Alright, that sounds g-good," he was stuttering and visibly sweating- most likely from being put under too much pressure. "-but you two aren't going to follow me out," he commanded at the S.T.A.R.S. members._

_As he slowly walked towards the door, Chris became silently happy none of the other S.T.A.R.S members were able to show up. If there had been both Alpha and Bravo teams crammed in that room with all of the hostages plus the man with the gun- things would have gone a lot differently. When the man had made it to the doorway, he looked over his shoulder towards the hallways, and that's when Wesker moved._

_Chris might have been the sharp-shooter of the team but Wesker was captain for a reason- his quick and effective moves sometimes stunned even his allies._

_Wesker had grabbed the criminal's wrist with his gun-less hand and pushed it up. The man shot out of surprise and a ceiling panel fell onto the white flooring, breaking across the Umbrella symbol between all of the desks. Wesker tightened his grip threateningly on the man's wrist and the gun fell from his hands, sliding towards Chris. The man panicked and began throwing punches at Wesker who still had a strong grip on his right wrist. The first went unblocked by Wesker, successfully knocking his sunglasses from his face. Wesker dropped his own gun and was able to block the second attack with his now freed hand. He punched the man in the lower stomach then kneed him, lucratively sending the man reeling backwards._

_Chris quickly called for backup and within seconds, there was an entire squad in the hallway, pinning Fisher to the floor. They were able to put him in handcuffs and drag him away without help from Wesker or Chris and the two had been ushered out, with thanks, so that the police could deal with the hostages._

_Wesker hastily looked for his sunglasses around the floor while exiting but Chris noted a dull sigh from him before Wesker walked faster into the hallway. Chris saw the pair of sunglasses, broken entirely in half to the right side of the doorway. Chris followed him to the first floor and out of the double doors that was the entrance._

_An EMT rushed towards Wesker to tend the wound on the bride of his nose, most likely from the impact of Fisher's fist against the sunglasses and into Wesker's nose, but was quickly shooed away. Wesker didn't bother addressing anyone as the two made their way back to Wesker's car. By this time, dawn was now in motion and an orange sky lingered brightly in the darkness._

_Chris was first in the car and Wesker quickly followed but the two closed the doors at the same time. Wesker quickly flipped down the visor and examined the damage done to his nose. He touched it with his middle finger and saw blood on the pale digit before sighing and looking at Chris._

" _Good work in there, Redfield," He said with a tired but satisfied smile._

_Through the slight darkness, Chris strained his eyes to see the color of Wesker's eyes. He'd never even seen his eyes before and doubted he would ever get the chance again, he wanted to make the moment count. He had no real idea why it was so important to know his captain's eye color but it was._

_**Green.** _

_His eye color was green._

_Chris internally smiled at this._

" _I didn't actually do anything, Captain," Chris mumbled admittedly as Wesker began searching for something, his hand exploring underneath his seat at first before diving into the backseat._

" _You followed orders, provided cover, and helped save a room full of people- I don't want to hear you say that you did nothing," Wesker said with exertion, reaching back farther before sighing and trying inside the arm-rest that doubled as a second compartment._

" _I suppose that's true. Sir, I'm still kind of curious about why I was the one you picked up to help you on this case."_

_Wesker, to Chris's surprise, didn't stop looking for whatever he was looking for and immediately went to the glove department._

" _I already told you that you are asking too many questions. Don't make me repeat my-" He cut off as he pulled out another pair of black sunglasses. "Finally," he mumbled before slipping them onto his face._

" _I know, I'm just curious," Chris said with a shrug, looking at his captain out of the corner of his eye._

" _If you must know, out of the rest of the team, I chose you purposely to accompany me," Wesker answered, pulling his seatbelt over himself._

" _So you didn't call anyone else?"_

" _No I did- several times in fact, but at such an early time, nobody wants to pick up the phone. I'd assume most of the team didn't even hear their phones at such an early hour. I just decided that I did in fact need backup and I chose you to get specifically. I was well aware that nobody would attend and I honestly can't wait to shout at everyone for not being ready," Wesker said with a low chuckle._

" _They'd deserve it after not showing up," Chris mumbled, his head leaning on his hand again as his eyes threatened to close. "It's nice to know you think I'm competent enough to back you up, even compared to Jill."_

" _Ms. Valentine does have remarkable skill but I felt you were more qualified for this case," Wesker said, turning down a street that Chris realized was the complete opposite way of his apartment._

" _How so?" Chris asked, looking out his window, mentally trying to push through his drowsiness to figure out where they were going._

" _Well, two reasons. The first is because you stayed later than needed to help me with paperwork. In fact, as I recall, I didn't ask and was strictly against it but you insisted and we were able to get it done quicker than I expected. The second reason being you know what you need to do to save someone's life. If that, at times, requires going against your superior's order and thus putting everything on the line, you would do it without much of a thought. I needed that tonight if the situation had gone wrong," Wesker muttered, turning onto the main street of Raccoon City._

_Chris internally groaned- they were going to work._

" _So because I stayed later, you decided that it would be a good idea to wake me up after two hours of leaving only to bring me to work anyways?" Chris asked, looking to Wesker as they pulled into the police station parking lot._

" _Saying it like that makes me sound like the bad guy," The S.T.A.R.S. Captain chuckled. "I haven't had any sleep, either, you know," he said matter-of-factly, parking the car._

" _That was the whole point of me staying later, was that so you could get sleep," Chris sighed, unbuckling his seat belt as the car was turned off._

" _Well, Chris, that worked out well, didn't it?" Wesker asked before unbuckling his own seatbelt and getting out of the car._

_Chris's spine tingled._

_Captain Wesker had finally said his name._


	3. The Room

"Find what you were looking for?" Chris asked from his firm spot in the doorway.

"Asking questions again, Chris? Will you ever learn?" Wesker asked clearly, his tongue clicking disapprovingly before he approached Chris. Once in front of the brunette, the blond clasped a hand around the back of Chris's neck and pushed him forward forcefully towards the doors.

Chris stumbled but remained silent as he began through the automatic doors leading back through the several floors they had descended to get to the labs. Wesker's mood had seemed to change dramatically for the better (worse to Chris) as he was now giving low throaty chuckles whenever Chris would trip over something in the darkness of the staircase or would accidentally run into a wall- not knowing which turns were where. Light was increasingly limited, just as it had been when they had descended the staircase, but it was worse now that Chris was leading rather than following.

Once they reached the Great Hall, Chris stopped in front of the staircase leading to the second floor. He looked to Wesker for guidance but received none as the man was now striding across the room towards the Dining Room. With a hand pressed to the large door, Wesker waited for Chris to follow before going through.

The room resembled the Dining Room from the original mansion to a point where Chris was getting horrible flashbacks of the first encounter. The elongated dining table had been completely trashed- remotely appearing as various other rooms of the mansion. The row of candlesticks were all knocked over, some candles resting on the red chairs that lined the table. To the right of the table was an old grandfather clock and to the left, windows that were darkened completely. The red drapery that normally sat around the windows was torn and scorched, laying on the stone floor around some of the fallen chairs. At the end of the long hall was an unlit fireplace with a sort of insignia above it. To the right of the fireplace sat a closed wooden door and to the left, a pillar, among others, that supported the second floor. The only light source came from the scones around the walls that were flickering threateningly or from the well lit scones from the Great Hall through the open double doors.

While Chris stood in the doorway in awe of the room's resemblance compared to the dining hall from a decade before, Wesker strode towards the grandfather clock.

Wesker broke the glass that protected the face easily and began playing with the hands of the clock. After a long moment, a loud click echoed through the hall and the clock pulled out, revealing another safe. From Chris's position in the doorway, he could see a small smirk appear on Wesker's lips and to Chris's chagrin, Wesker's form blocked the contents of the safe once Wesker had it open.

Wesker shuffled about within the safe, allowing Chris to move casually to the left side of the table and attempt to look over Wesker's shoulder. By the time he was able to see anything, Wesker was closing the safe. He turned on his heel and in his palm sat a long black pouch that he was closing by a small draw string. He was able to slide the pouch into a large paper bag and Chris faintly heard it drop onto other items piled into the bag. Wesker looked up to Chris and nodded back towards the Great Hall.

"Go," he commanded and Chris obeyed with a deep sigh.

Chris began towards the doorway and a low shuffling behind him alerted the man that Wesker was doing something- most likely ruffling around in the bag but Chris couldn't be sure. A small stab of pain in Chris's neck sent him reeling forward. A hand went to his neck and pulled whatever it had been that Wesker stabbed into him- a syringe. Chris tossed it aside, his hand rubbing his neck before a slight blur overtook his sight and his legs began wobbling under his weight.

"W-What'd y-" The words came out in a long slur as he fell to his knees, fighting off the effects of whatever Wesker injected him with.

"Don't struggle, Chris," Wesker spoke distantly before Chris collapsed across the broken stone flooring.

A large tanker flashed before Chris with too many details for him to grasp. Excella was the next vision followed by his own voice, though it was unknown to him what he had said. Now, it was Sheva's turn to speak but her voice was too blocked out. Seconds ran by in his mind- pictures that he couldn't comprehend. Loud ringing burned his ears- gun shots. The last thing he remembered was a small red label with white letters 'PG67A/W'.

Chris awoke with a startle and a sharp pain split through his head. He attempted to put a hand to his forehead but realized he was unable to. A metallic jingling forced him to look through the pain at what was holding his hands.

Chris was laying on his left side, both of his hands handcuffed with the chain around a bedpost. The bedpost was connected to a large bed with four posts surrounding it. Satin red cloth hung around the upper post and red satin blankets lay underneath him. The headboard had a large Umbrella symbol carved into it along with the wooden posts. A wooden door sat across from the bed and, much like the other rooms, scones were the only light source of the room. The room itself was windowless and without a visible clock, causing Chris to wonder how long he had been unconscious.

Chris strained his neck to look around the room but saw it was empty and became momentarily relieved- this gave him a chance to contemplate his dream.

Was it a dream? Chris had been silently hoping that it was a memory but he had no way to prove it. The vision (or visions) had been completely choppy and he couldn't even comprehend most of the details. The scenes that played in his head seemed too familiar to be dreams- they had to be memories. PG67A/W. It was too familiar yet he hadn't seen what the label was stuck to and what was PG67A/W?

"Glad to see you're awake," Chris hadn't heard or seen Wesker walk in.

"What did you inject me with?" Chris asked, pulling himself up as Wesker lingered around the foot of the bed. Wesker snickered as he responded.

"A bit of Ketamine causes the injected to become unconscious," he spoke simply.

A simple look at Chris's stern, unchanging face revealed to Wesker that the man didn't believe him. Wesker chuckled again at this.

"I have no reason to lie to you, Chris, but believe what you wish."

"Why am I tied up again?" Chris asked hoarsely.

Wesker didn't respond. Instead, he turned on his heel and began for the door. Chris remained quiet as Wesker vanished through the doorway then reappeared moments later, his right hand balancing a small plate of food. Chris watched intently as Wesker glided to the right side, where Chris was handcuffed to, and sat the plate on the side table.

"It has been a good few days since you've eaten and I'd rather you not die on me, just yet. The pitcher of water, as you can see, is already prepared."

From the stern line that swept Wesker's lips, Chris could see he was unhappy feeding him. Granted, if the situation was flipped, Chris couldn't see himself feeding Wesker. Just then, the thought occurred to Chris- perhaps Wesker didn't eat? Wesker wasn't human but did that mean he didn't need to do human things?

"How do you expect me to eat, exactly?" Chris asked, looking up at the man towering over him beside the bed.

Wesker let out a drawn out sigh and began digging in his pocket, quickly finding the key. He moved the little metallic object towards Chris's right hand and unlocked it but quickly grabbed the free cuff. He was able to wrap the cuff around the bedpost, Chris's left hand now attached securely to it.

"Great," Chris mumbled, twisting his right wrist victoriously in freedom.

Wesker smirked and turned on his heel again, both arms behind his back as he began strolling towards the doorway.

"I'll return once I'm finished with my work. It seems we'll be staying here for the next few days-"

Wesker's tone put Chris on edge. The idea that Wesker didn't have much of a plan returned and it, again, frightened him. The thought that he perhaps wouldn't be staying around to find out seemed to be the only comfortable idea but knowing in his position with healing wounds, he would not be able to face Wesker let alone escape from him.

"-make yourself comfortable, Christopher," Wesker said darkly, leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

Chris sighed and his eyes fell on the plate of food in front of him. There was a large pile of partially frozen corn beside two bread pieces that were stuck together by peanut butter. The bread looked edible but Chris couldn't imagine where Wesker got it from. The corn, most likely, came from a bag that was frozen for years and peanut butter can stay fairly fresh if preserved correctly- but bread? Something else also dawned on Chris- perhaps Wesker put something in the food. Chris couldn't exactly say the food would be worth poisoning in its current state but he certainly wouldn't put it past the blond.

This caused Chris to frown.

The man sighed and instead, looked to the pitcher. There was completely normal looking water sitting in the tall metallic decanter. Chris shrugged and brought the side to his lips, tilting the jug upwards slightly causing the water to glide swiftly into his mouth. The brunette took several small gulps, tasting it cautiously before deciding it safe and setting it down.

Wesker had given no eating utensils so Chris, reluctantly, had to use his hands. Chris repositioned himself so his back was against the headboard comfortably while his left arm was bent above him and glued to the bedpost to his left. His right hand picked up the plate and sat it on his sturdy lap, allowing him to use his thumb and forefinger to pick little bunches of cold corn and drop them into his mouth. Chris shivered and compared the feeling to eating some sort of nasty frozen treat while being sure Wesker wouldn't bother poisoning it.

Chris, reluctant and slow, was able to finish off the mound of corn before continuing to the 'sandwich'. Before picking it up, he peeled the first piece of bread from the bottom piece allowing him to see the torn bits of bread stuck to the slapped on peanut butter. He frowned at the pale brown-white, slightly runny, 'peanut butter' and shrugged. It smelled the same, perhaps a bit stronger, but he was willing to take the chance.

Chris released the top piece and pressed it into the bottom before picking up the sandwich and taking a bite. He chewed slowly, studying the taste and feel of the food before swallowing. It left a slight sour after-taste but it could easily be washed away by the water. Knowing this, Chris took another bite, not bothering to be apprehensive of the food any longer. If Wesker wanted him dead, there would be no way he would get enjoyment out of it by simply poisoning him. Wesker is far too vengeful for that, Chris knew him all too well.

Chris finished the food as slowly as possible, despite the horrific after-taste. He wanted to give his stomach time to retaliate to the food before doing anything further. Once he ate the last piece, his abdomen was giving a bloated feeling telling him that he was actually full- a feeling he had missed longingly since he had been in Wesker's capture. Cringing at the after-taste momentarily, he reached for the jug and tipped it quickly to his lips, drinking the water quickly in haste of repairing his taste buds. Chris made sure to leave at least half of the jug full before setting it down. Chris assumed he would be in this position for a good few hours and felt he needed to conserve the water in case he needed it.

Chris was, unfortunately, very right. Wesker left Chris locked up in the bedroom for what felt like days, but was most likely a good ten hours though he had no way to be sure. Time was nothing to him now and his own thoughts were growingly haunting him. How long had it been? How much longer would it be? Where was Sheva? Jill? Were they alive? What was that label? What was Wesker doing? Did he even have a plan?

Over and over, questions circled his mind- just as they did when he was trapped in the darkness and silence of the car. Chris momentarily wondered if Wesker left him alone in the mansion and simply abandoned him. Perhaps Wesker's original plan fell through and his only option was to leave Chris there.

Chris outright laughed.

If put in that position, Chris knew that the first thing Wesker would do would be to kill him. Completely and totally- gun to the head, death. This thought lead Chris into another question that he hadn't thought of since being in the car- Why was he still alive? What purpose could he serve to Wesker? Maybe it was the same purpose Jill was serving- but he never knew what the purpose was.

To put it simply, maybe he did know at some point but he just couldn't remember.

Chris groaned and sunk into the bed, his head hitting the pillow comfortably as he stared at the top of the bedpost. Despite the time lapse, hunger was still averted and he had yet felt the need to finish off the water. Boredom, loneliness, and confusion had remained with him for far too long and his mind seemed to react to it by sending him through intense logical questionings thus immersing him into physically draining himself from the mental action.

Chris yawned quietly, turning on his left side so that his left arm was comfortably able to lay on the bed with his right. He wanted more than anything to not fall asleep but he was stuck. The brunette didn't know when, or if, Wesker was coming back and he was a prisoner with nothing to do but sit and think. Both his body and mind couldn't take the constant badgering of questions any longer- he needed sleep. Perhaps sleep would bring more forgotten memories and with that comfortable thought, he was able to close his eyes and sleep.

Sleep brought nothing- no memories or dreams whatsoever. However, the distant echoing of a voice did startle Chris awake. He jerked upward, pulling his left arm in surprise awakening, twisting it in an awkward jolt. Pain in his wrist and forearm cause Chris to grit his teeth and hold it soothingly with his right arm, wishing he could pull his left against him nurturing. He looked around but Wesker wasn't in sight- yet his voice rang through the room and perhaps the mansion.

"Good, the speaker system still works after all these years," Chris looked around and spotted a small white speaker in the corner of the room, an object that easily escaped his vision earlier.

"So you're watching me," Chris muttered, shifting so that he was in a comfortable sitting position against the headboard again.

"I always am, Chris, remember that," Chris heard a low chuckle from behind Wesker's words that made him uncomfortable.

When Wesker said nothing further, Chris rolled his eyes and laid the back of his head against the wooden board. His eyes closed in relaxation, half attempting to go back to sleep as a way to pass time. Chris had almost reached the point of unconsciousness when an unmistakable scratch on the closed door caught his attention. Chris's eyes shot open and he sat up (to his best ability with his wrist still throbbing). His eyes narrowed and he watched the door intently, his ears at the ready.

Just as he thought that it was perhaps Wesker messing about on the microphone, it happened again. It was, distinctly, nail on wood. The door handle didn't move as if anyone was trying to get in but the scratching definitely continued. Chris held his breath, looking around for possible weapons he could use. The plate perhaps? Though, what good would that do to a zombie? Maybe if he-

SLAM.

Chris jumped slightly as the door fell forward with a human shape on top of it. His eyes widened and he straightened up to look over the edge of the bed to get a better look but couldn't see anything from the spot he was secured in. When the figure didn't rise, Chris looked up at the speaker but Wesker's voice didn't ring from it- maybe Wesker wasn't watching. A low moaning sound told him it must be a zombie but how was he suppose to fight the damn thing?

Chris looked at the plate almost desperately. Perhaps if he could break it and get a large enough piece of glass, he would be able to use it to his advantage. With a quick swipe, Chris picked up the dirty green plate and smashed it against the end table. He watched the large pieces shatter, some falling to the floor while others stayed on the table. His hand ghosted over one of the larger pieces, gripping it tightly in his large hand while he waited for the infected human to make its reappearance.

The zombie moaned as it stood at the foot of the bed and rounded to the left, where Chris lay handcuffed to the bedpost. The rotten flesh was practically falling from the zombie, the white Umbrella lab coat barely visible due to the dirt and dust. The clothes underneath the lab coat were barely recognizable as a shirt and tie with dress pants. They were torn, his pants both at the knees and various other places while his shirt was falling apart- showing off grey skin. An unreadable nametag stuck to his lab coat and his hair was long enough to tell Chris the zombie had been waiting since the place went under.

Chris slipped from the bed while the zombie slowly made his way towards him, he felt much more comfortable fighting the thing while on his feet. His left arm was completely incapacitated, twisting behind his back while his right hand held the glass piece. The zombie's head tilted upwards slightly, its beady eyes landing on Chris as if just noticing him. Chris saw the small 'click' within the animal that made it attack and within seconds had plunged the glass piece into the side of the zombie's head, through all of the matted greasy hair after it lunged forward.

It stopped, momentarily, but it obviously hadn't plunged into the brain and was attacking again. Chris was about to kick it back when it pounced on him and pinned him between the bed and side table. Chris's right arm was now attempting to keep the zombie at bay while his feet beneath him were attempting to keep him standing.

A loud gunshot rang out and the zombie immediately dropped in front of a shaking Chris who leaned onto the bed to keep himself from falling over. He looked up to see, none other than, Wesker standing with his gun raised. He smirked and made a small 'hm' noise before looking at a blood splattered Chris from behind sunglasses.

"Pity, I wasn't expecting that," he muttered, sheathing his gun at his waist.

Chris was still in a bit of shock- Wesker had just saved him.

True, Chris knew Wesker wanted Chris alive for something but if put in danger he never would have expected Wesker to save him. The simple thought itself spurred haunting memories that he'd long forgotten after years of chasing Wesker.

_Chris arrived with Jill to a scene of utter disaster. There were six or seven police cars blocking off an entire main street just outside the Umbrella Corporation headquarters. Chris parked just outside of the police car blockage and was immediately approached by his Captain and the Bravo's team leader, Enrico Marini. Wesker and Marini both already had bulletproof vests strapped around their torsos with a radio on each, also strapped somewhere on their chest. Wesker had his handgun at the ready, unlike Marini, as he approached them._

_"Sir, the rest of Alpha team should be here shortly," Jill spoke as she was handed a vest. "What is the situation, Captain?"_

_"I'm going to wait until the rest of the team gets here. I want to explain it to you all at once," Wesker spoke, looking from Marini to the two in front of him. "Bravo team has already arrived and are ready to enter the situation yet Alpha remains absent," Wesker muttered, adjusting his sunglasses intently._

_A car pulled next to Chris's that they all recognized as Barry's grey Lincoln. He stepped out of it and closed the door, jogging up to the group._

_"Vickers and Frost are carpooling," he informed the group as Marini ran to fetch three more vests. "They were behind me when I was on my way here," he continued after the Bravo leader returned. By the time he had slipped on the vest and was suiting up with a gun and ammo, a car had pulled up behind both the previous cars, shielding the car in plain daylight._

_Vickers practically fell out of the car, stumbling forward ahead of Frost who walked up casually, retrieving both of their vests.._

_"Nice of you two to join us," Wesker spoke through gritted teeth before turning on all of them. "Right. Similar to the rest of the recent cases, this one is also about an Umbrella researcher-"_

_"We couldn't tell that from standing in front of the Umbrella building, I'm sure," muttered Richard who had appeared behind Chris along with the rest of Bravo team._

_"Aiken-" Wesker began, glaring from behind sunglasses. He remained silent and Wesker continued. "The situation is simple- a woman by the name of Angelica River with a gun. She's completely lost her mind, according to several eyewitnesses. The original report was that she began tearing her clothes off in the office, claiming to feel things crawling in her. She had a gun in her desk, according to some co-workers she didn't trust other Umbrella employees, and she ran out into the street, threatening to shoot herself supposedly to get rid of the feeling. Since then, she's clawed at herself multiple times and was bleeding viciously so approach with extreme caution. Bravo team, I want you all to circle Alpha team while Redfield, Burton, and I approach her. Valentine, Vickers, and Frost follow between the three of us and Bravo team."_

_"Yes, sir," repeated the team._

_"Right. Redfield go in front, Burton I want you behind me as backup and the rest of you follow behind and get into position," Wesker directed before nodding for Chris to go._

_Chris entered the closed off section and the moment he did, the police seemed to pull back completely. He eyed the woman in the middle of the street with a look of confusion. Long blond hair hung in the woman's face as she sat on her knees with her head down. The gun in her right hand was limp at her side while the left was covered in blood, most likely her own, and in her lap. She had scratches going up her right arm and both thighs, her black underwear hiding her private lower half. Her top half still had a shirt, though completely torn at her slim stomach which also had scratch marks going across it, and it was a slight off white. The bottom of the shirt was completely stained with the blood dripping from her stomach while the middle of the shirt was covered in vomit. Chris could see she was obviously wanting to scratch more of herself by the looks of the way her gunless hand was twitching yet she seemed to be holding some self-control._

_"Miss River, please drop the gun," Chris requested, pointing his gun towards her and moving to the right, stopping several feet in front of her. Wesker stayed to the left, his gun also raised at the ready._

_She muttered something which in turn began into needless rambling. Chris caught only a few words and they were well spread out. Hunger… Sleep… Die. Then, he was able to catch a full sentence._

_"I don't want to die," it was spoken in a hushed and painful whisper that sent shivers up Chris's spine._

_"Angelica, please, you have to put the gun down. We have medics that can help you," Barry said from behind her._

_She shivered and fell forward, vomiting onto the pavement in front of her. Her blond hair dragged through it as she lazily pulled her head back up, her hair falling in her face again. She stayed sitting as she lightly sobbed, muttering more nonsense that none of the three closest S.T.A.R.S members could understand. She suddenly fell silent, her thin and paling form slumping a bit further though not falling completely over. She seemed to be fighting sleep now- though that was only assumption by observation. Chris, in reality, had no idea what was going on and couldn't guess why she was acting in such a way._

_According to the Captain, she had come running out of the building, waving the gun but by the looks of it, she had no energy. He wouldn't guess that she could even stand let alone run around. He also observed that, even though the gun was still in her grip, it was limp and he would guess anything that she couldn't even raise the weapon._

_"Angelica, if you need medical assistance, put the gun aside and we will help you," Chris spoke loudly and calmly as Wesker spoke something into his radio most likely telling medics to be on standby._

_That was when the girl looked up. Slowly, her head twitched up and she was able to see through the knotted blond hair, the man standing in front of her with a weapon raised at her. Her head tilted to the side and she shakily got to her feet. Bare feet stumbled around on the hot pavement, her entire gun arm was limp, not even bothering to raise it as she slowly began walking towards Chris. He stood his ground, raising his gun slightly higher in warning._

_"Miss River, you need to drop the gun," he said tempting to take a slow step back as she continued towards him, gun still in hand. "Miss River-"_

_It all happened rather fast. The woman lunged at him, growling and showing her teeth like a rabid dog. She had been in mid-attack, her hands almost on him, when a shot rang out. The bullet had hit her directly in the side of the head, throwing her to Chris's right and killing her instantly. Chris turned to see Wesker's gun smoking ever so slightly, telling the brunette that the blond had just saved him._

It was a memory that Chris had long forgotten, purposely for the most part. Having a mission to kill his former Captain made him want to completely forget that full two years of S.T.A.R.S but it was something he knew he could never do. Instead, he just locked the memories away and focused on the present and future- that's all that mattered.

Though, it did make him wonder, at times if it was worth fighting for. It was true, he wanted a future without fear of Wesker or people dying of unnatural causes. He wanted the world rid of evil companies like Umbrella and Tricell- but what could he do exactly besides what he was trying to do with Sheva? He'd been dealing with maniacs trying to take over the world for almost a decade and Chris was wondering when all the tyranny was going to end- but he didn't see it coming anytime soon despite not remembering the prior couple of days.

"It seems-" Wesker's voice pulled Chris from thought, "while they were trying to clear out of the mansion, not everyone escaped alive," Wesker said as Chris began wiping the blood splatters from his face.

"Were they working on the virus here too?" Chris asked, looking from his now swelling left wrist to Wesker.

"Of course. While clearing out, they obviously didn't dispose of them correctly. The injected have been holed up in the mansion after all these years," Wesker snickered. "There shouldn't be too many of them. I'm sure one sweep of the mansion will do."

To Chris's surprise, Wesker rounded the bed and walked over to Chris's handcuffed hand. He took out the handcuff key and unlocked them both, pocketing them before looking at Chris expectantly.

"I'm going with you?" Chris asked, rubbing his left wrist with his right hand.

"Of course. Without me, you would find yourself in another zombie situation within minutes," Wesker explained with a sigh.

"You need to stop doing that," Chris hissed, sliding from the bed and pushing past Wesker.

"Oh? What am I doing, Christopher?" Wesker asked intently with a bit of a smirk.

Chris stopped and turned on his heel, looking back at Wesker.

"You need to stop acting like you're still my Captain."


	4. Stubborn

It had been endless hours since the two had begun their sweep of the mansion. The duo had only come across a select few zombies and they were easily taken care of by one of Wesker's neck breaking moves. In fact, Chris noticed that Wesker didn't use his gun at all as they stalked the halls and he assumed it was for ammo saving purposes. Chris was surprised to find that many of the back hallways of the mansion were lined with lit candles rather than scones. It surprised him more once the thought occurred to him that Wesker went and lit every single candle sometime before the sweep though he easily shrugged this thought off. The candles successfully cast an ominous glow through the halls and rooms they illuminated and even the darkened windows of the second floor couldn't sooth Chris into a sense of security- he still felt like something could climb through it anytime.

To Chris's astonishment, Wesker seemed more weary, even of the pathetically slow zombies that they encountered. It seemed the farther they got, the more cautious he became. By the time the two reached the third, and top, floor, the sun was beginning to rise and show through the window lined hallways, though the rooms were still lit with scones or candles due to the lack of windows. It wasn't until their second room on the third floor that voices sounded.

"Why did you save me?" Chris's voice came stern but he was sure Wesker could hear the simple confusion behind the words.

Wesker, who just opened the wardrobe of the room rather slowly to find it completely empty, closed the cabinet and turned on his heel.

"Do you understand why I don't allow you to ask questions?"

Chris, more than anything, wanted to punch Wesker. The way his tongue laced out the word allow was as if he was a child. Chris, even if he didn't have the upper hand, wasn't being controlled by Wesker.

Instead of acting violently, he merely shook his head.

"Simply, Christopher, I will lie to you unless I find the subject not worth lying about- such as the food I gave you yesterday. I didn't find it worth lying about when you know that I won't kill you. So, when you do decide to stupidly ask questions, rather than taking the time to lie, I just won't answer," Wesker spoke calmly with almost a hint of boredom behind his voice that Chris could clearly hear.

"In other words-" Wesker had just begun to walk past Chris, who was standing in the doorway, when Chris began talking again causing Wesker to stop. "You not only don't want to kill me, but you don't want anything to happen to me at all-" Chris seemed to be referring to the fact that Wesker didn't poison his food rather than what Wesker had just really said.

Wesker chuckled faintly which gradually turned rather loud.

"Oh, Chris, how wrong you are. I want to kill you, don't get me wrong," Wesker said, shaking his head through trailing laughter.

"So do it then!" Chris stepped up to Wesker, his eyes intent and his voice stern. "You have the power, you have the resources- just kill me if you want me dead."

"My want does not overcome my need," Wesker spoke sternly as well and the two seemed to linger, staring threateningly into each others eyes (though from Chris's perspective, he had to squint to see Wesker's through the sunglasses perched on the blonde's nose).

"So you have an actual plan, then?" Chris asked, his muscular arms folding across his chest.

Wesker tightened his lips, silence overtaking him. This scared Chris immensely and it was then that he knew his suspicions were right. Wesker didn't have a plan and they were simply camping out at an abandoned Umbrella Facility because it was the only thing Wesker could do.

"Time is of the essence," Wesker muttered, turning to his right and continuing out the door of the room.

"Of course it is," Chris breathed through a silent sigh and continued to follow.

Several minutes of silence went by. Wesker was straining his ears to listen to anything besides the two's footsteps while Chris was simply lost in thought. This was something that was becoming increasingly common for the brunette, yet he couldn't help blurt out the question that was nagging his mind clearly more than the rest.

"So what is it, then?"

Wesker stopped, both figures were in the middle of the hallway that was quickly coming to a roundabout where there were more rooms across from them. His hands were secured comfortably yet sternly behind his back and he didn't bother turning around fully, his head merely lazily looked over his shoulder.

"What are you asking, Christopher?" he asked in a huff, obviously getting weary of the constant questioning.

"What is your plan?"

Chris knew, very well, that Wesker would never tell him (even if a plan existed). At this point, Chris found himself pushing Wesker on purpose to show that he hadn't given up fighting yet. They both knew that Chris was stubborn and giving up was something that wouldn't come for a long time, even while in the position he found himself in.

"Do you really believe I'm going to tell you something like that?" Wesker had continued walking but Chris found himself lost in a quick flash of a memory.

_Darkness surrounded him though, somehow, he knew Sheva was there with him. The suspicion was confirmed when he heard footsteps and her voice distantly, but he couldn't understand what she was saying. It wasn't until Wesker's voice rang out in the darkness that he realized it was an actual memory and not what was happening around him._

_"Why can't you understand, Chris?" A loud bang and to Chris's right, a large light flashed on. From the distance, Chris could only see Wesker's dark figure and the shine of his glasses. "Do you really believe the world is worth saving?" Wesker called. It occurred to Chris that perhaps Wesker couldn't see him. Chris watched the dark figure run directly past him at God-like speeds and another loud bang sounded from the darkness to Chris's left. Another light flashed on and Wesker saw him. "Humans have escaped this winnowing for far too long."_

_"I've got a rocket launcher!" Sheva's voice came from somewhere across the area they were in. Wesker looked around, most likely for her, and that's when a rocket shot from behind a large separator. Wesker caught it at the last moment- the rocket fiercely pushing to get through the few inches from his face. He held it off while it slowly drained of power and it wasn't until Sheva shouted again that Chris actually did something. "Shoot it! Shoot it now!"_

_Chris looked in his hand and found a handgun, completely loaded and ready to use. He raised it and shot without thinking and the rocket exploded, causing a large cloud of smoke to block the view of Wesker. Once the smoke cleared, Chris saw Wesker kneeling, attempting to recover from the blow. Sheva ran forward and rounded him, both arms securing around his shoulders and fighting to keep him still._

_"Chris! Inject him!" Chris quickly began searching himself and found a covered syringe in one of his pant pockets. Realization hit with one quick read of the label-_ _**PG67A/W** _ _. He charged forward and pulled the protection from the needle before injecting it into Wesker._

Upon opening his eyes, Chris couldn't see anything through the stinging headache. His palm pressed relentlessly against his temple and he let a groan escape his lips as he realized he was on the ground. His vision slowly began returning to normal and he struggled to fight the headache plaguing him.

"That was certainly surprising," Chris strained his neck around to see Wesker sitting several feet away from him against a nearby wall. Chris looked at him in confusion as he realized they were still in the hallway. Wesker eyed him from behind his dark sunglasses and chuckled.

"Apparently, it was entertaining too?" Chris asked gruffly, slowly attempting to stand.

The moment Chris was on his feet, a dizzy spell hit him and he had to use the wall for support before sliding down and back into a sitting position. He sighed in annoyance and began prodding his temple with his forefinger, middle, and ring finger.

Wesker made a small 'hm' noise before speaking. "Yes, quite."

"I actually fell unconscious," Chris muttered in realization, his strong headache slowly subsiding.

"You did, Chris. Mind explaining why?"

The Redfield scoffed, almost releasing a laugh as he spoke. "I wish I knew."

"I assume it was from the accident," Wesker spoke before standing and taking a few steps to where Chris sat.

"Accident?" Chris blurted, blinking confusedly up at the blond.

Chris wished immediately that he could have taken that one word back. Wesker stopped and his head tilted to the right ever so slightly. His lips remained pursed which made Chris also wish that he could see the man's eyes- maybe he could tell what the man was thinking.

"Interesting." The word slipped with intent from Wesker's lips and Chris felt himself regretting his slip up even more.

All Chris could think about was getting away from Wesker, that's all that mattered. He didn't have time to question what sort of accident he had been in nor go over the lingering questions of his forgotten memories. He needed to stop questioning things he didn't know and try figuring a way out, he needed a plan.

Of course, Chris was never the type to have a plan. Most of the time, his superiors came up with plans for him and he followed them (most of the time). However, the few times where it was left up to him, he never bothered to stop and plan things out. Chris was always someone to follow his heart and if it had gotten him this far then maybe, just maybe, it could get him out of Wesker's grasp alive.

This was a risk that he wasn't willing to take. He needed a plan but he also needed time to think one up. Time was something that wasn't on his side, though, it didn't seem to be on Wesker's either so perhaps he could use that to his advantage.

Wesker stood in front of Chris, awaiting the man to stand up so they could finish sweeping out the third floor. Chris realized Wesker was waiting for him whilst he was in thought and immediately tried standing again. Lightheadedness didn't take over this time and he was able to stand successfully, though he did have one more question for the blond who continued walking down the hallway.

"How long was I unconscious for?"

"Several minutes. You were very vocal which leads me to believe that if there were infected on this floor, we would have been attacked by now," Wesker muttered, turning on his heel. "I suppose we should just-"

"What exactly did I say?" Chris asked, stopping as well.

"You said enough. As I was saying, we shouldn't waste our time continuing to search," Wesker strode past the angered brunette and down the nearest staircase. "I'll be taking you to the kitchen where you may fix yourself a meal-" Wesker spoke as Chris struggled to follow him. "I'll be in the laboratory, watching you. I expect us to be leaving the mansion within a few hours time."

"Wait, if we aren't going to be here for another full day, why did you bother spending the time walking through the whole place getting rid of all the infected?" Chris asked as they reached the Great Hall on the first floor. Wesker stopped and a smile crept lightly on his lips.

"Simple enough, I wanted to see if you would involuntarily give any information about your memory problem and indeed you have," he said before he continued to walk through the Great Hall and into the Dining Room.

Chris, unwillingly, followed, full of self-hatred and anger. He should have known that Wesker would pick up something as obvious as him getting headaches anytime something even barely reminded him of anything from the past. Now that he had spoken while unconscious, he found himself wondering what he could have said. As far as he remembered, he didn't speak in the memory that he'd seen- so what could he have said out loud?

Wesker and Chris continued through the lit Dining Room and into the door at the end of the room that lead into a hallway which, subsequently led into the kitchen.

The kitchen looked like most of the other rooms in the mansion- ruined. The scones on the walls kept the room lit and it was large enough to hold big amounts of food. Chris guessed that came in use considering they were in the middle of Africa with little to no civilization for a good sixty plus miles all around. There was a broken down fridge in the corner, long rows of cupboards along the walls, a dusty stove, and two large sinks on either side of the room.

"I'll announce over the intercom system once I'm prepared to leave," Wesker turned on his heel but halfway out the doorway, he stopped and turned his head back at Chris. "Oh, and Chris, don't try to escape. Keep in mind that there are working cameras throughout the mansion and I would reach the Great Hall from the laboratory faster that it would take you to get to the end of this room from where I stand."

"What makes you so sure that I won't try? Why did you bother putting me in handcuffs and securing me around that bedpost before if you could watch me so closely?"

"Earlier today, I was actually working on something important. Something that I could not take my eyes off just to watch what you were doing. Now, I'm simply preparing everything so that we may leave accordingly. That, I am able to do easily while watching your every move," before Chris had a chance to reply, Wesker exited the room, leaving Chris alone.

Chris looked around the empty room, Wesker's footsteps still in earshot. He listened closely while he went towards the cupboard nearest him and opened it. He bent down to look under the counter and saw there were stacks of canned foods. He grabbed one of the bigger ones to find that it was canned fruit and immediately settled on that. His free hand began opening and closing drawers until he found an old can opener that he was able to use to pry open the lid on the can.

He didn't bother getting a fork and simply began picking out the pieces of pear that lay inside with his forefinger and thumb. He brought the piece to his lips and dropped it into his mouth, savoring the moist taste while thinking of the opportune moment to leave. At this point, he only had two choices- he could make a run for it now, no plan in mind, no food, no water, no civilization for miles, or he could go with Wesker and just continue to wait it out.

It was obvious what he was going to choose and the moment he chose, he downed the whole can of pears, drinking the juice as a way to hydrate himself from the long few hours of walking around the mansion, and began out of the kitchen. He didn't bother looking around the corners or walls while rushing through the hallway and into the dining room. He had to take his chance that Wesker hadn't reached the lab yet and if he had, that he wasn't watching.

He quickened his step to a slight run (ignoring the extremely subtle pain he felt in his shoulder and leg), dashing past the fallen and misplaced chairs. He got through the double doors and into the Great Hall before bolting towards the entrance to the mansion. He pushed both doors and found it difficult to contain the joy that bolted through him once they both opened with ease.

Chris began through the doorway just before he felt pressure on his shoulder causing him to stop. It took him a long moment before he realized what had stopped him was a hand and it held a firm grip on his recuperating shoulder. It squeezed viciously, causing Chris to attempt to yank away though, despite his attempt, he was unable to pull from the grasp.

"I warned you not to try," Wesker spoke threateningly.

"-and I told you I wasn't going to stop trying," Chris said moments before being pulled inside roughly.

Chris was easily flung backwards by Wesker's pure force and didn't have time to catch himself as he fell in front of the Great Hall stairs. He struggled to get up and, unfortunately, was already being thrown against the wall beside the entrance to the Dining Room by the time he stood.

"Oh how I'm glad you decided to attempt an escape," Wesker taunted, a smirk implanted on his lips as Chris felt his bruised back suddenly begin hurting again from the impact on the wall.

"Just so you can prove that you're still in control, right Wesker?" Chris called back in huffs, before bolting towards the open door that lead outside the mansion.

Wesker blocked him so fast that Chris completely ran into him, stumbling back slightly before Wesker grabbed hold of the man's neck. Wesker easily raised Chris from the ground, both men face-to-face as he seemed to examine the wounds on Chris as he slowly tightened his grip- playfully.

This was nothing but playtime to Wesker and Chris found himself in a cat and mouse situation.

"Interesting," Wesker muttered, his eyes flashing over Chris's bruised cheek and healing lip.

Chris, however, was writhing in Wesker's grip. Both hands were trying to pry the blonde's strong grip from around his neck yet he was unable due to the power imbalance between the two. He gagged painfully, gasping relentlessly for air he couldn't grasp.

Wesker shrugged, turned on his heel, and tossed him in front of the staircase again. This time, however, Chris found himself on his back, sliding to a halt in front of the bottom step while gasping hoarsely for air. His back stung with shocks of pain from bruised skin and it painfully worsened when he coughed roughly and found himself on his side, yet again trying to get up.

"Chris, I do believe it to be in your best interest for you to stop trying. You seem to know that I won't be killing you anytime soon, yet you proceed to flee at any given chance," Wesker said, his gloved hand moving in response to several of his words.

"What the hell do you need me for?" Chris shouted hoarsely, his right hand rubbing at his neck where he could already feel bruises forming.

"You'll see soon enough. I'm curious-" Wesker spoke, walking towards Chris while he slowly stepped backwards against the stairs. "-What do you remember?"

Chris smirked through the pain. "I remember enough. What does it matter? I'll be dead in a few days as it is," Chris muttered, his smirk falling and his head turning to the side.

"Oh, Chris," Wesker began, stopping in front of the man. He put a gloved hand to Chris's chin and turned his head so he could look at him. "You can only hope, can't you?"

* * *

Chris had found himself locked, yet again, with the pair of handcuffs. However, this time, he was sitting on the stairs with his left hand cuffed to the stair railing. As much as he tried to pull, the railing itself stood firm and he soon gave up. His orders were to sit and wait for Wesker to return for they were to be leaving within several hours. This put him on high alert and he had looked for every possible way out of the situation.

However, at the moment, he found himself staring longingly and hopelessly at the entrance of the mansion, wishing to be beyond those double doors. He wouldn't lie to himself and say that he was close to escaping, he wasn't. He didn't really know if he ever would be. Perhaps Wesker was right, Chris would get tired of trying. Despite how much Chris looked, he rarely had opportunities to escape but when they came, Wesker always intercepted them.

It occurred to Chris earlier that maybe Wesker set it up that way but Chris still found himself trying. Even when it was obvious that Wesker wanted him to attempt an escape, Chris still tried. When put into the position where he was forced to sit in silence, he found himself thinking rationally and would often over think things. However, put him into a situation where freedom is lingering just beyond a doorway or just beyond his reach, all rationality seems to die and he doesn't bother thinking about anything.

Wesker, however, was always calm. He always thinks about things before taking action and, even then, his extensive thought process seems to always exceed Chris's expectations. Wesker was always someone to go over-the-top in his plans, even when it came to simple things.

Chris sat in pure silence, his head leaning against the railing while his left hand draped over it lazily, unable to pull from it. The brunette had been waiting there for countless hours and he found himself growing less hopeful of escaping as time passed. Wesker wasn't stupid and the only way he would leave Chris unattended was if Chris was handcuffed or if Wesker knew he would be able to catch Chris.

A thought crossed Chris's mind that he should do something unexpected, but like what? Wesker kept saying that he was running out of time, which meant so was Chris. If he was going to start planning things out, now would be the time since he internally knew he probably wouldn't be able to later. What was he supposed to do, though?

"I do believe I'm ready to depart, Christopher," Chris looked up to see Wesker rounding the staircase from his left.

Wesker held a large black bag in his left hand and a small remote in his right. Chris assumed the bag held the files Wesker was able to recover and, most likely, the small black bag that Chris had seen Wesker pulling from one of the mansion safes. Wesker set down the bag at his feet and used his free hand to retrieve a key from his pocket. He unlocked the handcuff secured to the railing first before unlocking the metallic ring from Chris's wrist.

"Go out to the car," Wesker instructed, slipping the key into his pocket while Chris began towards the double doors.

Wesker bent down and grabbed the bag at his feet. He strode behind Chris until they reached the doorway, which Chris opened with a heavy nudge of both doors. Chris had to keep his head down, the brightness of walking into the sun made him strain his eyes despite most of the sunlight being blocked from the tall trees. Chris strutted across the path that led back through the open gate where the car sat.

"Into the passenger seat," Wesker muttered, walking towards the driver's side. Chris obeyed, unwillingly, and he found himself in the passenger's seat while Wesker placed the bag into the backseat. Chris wasn't surprised to see that the briefcase Wesker had in Chris's place several days beforehand was no longer there yet he still found himself questioning where Wesker had put it.

Chris didn't bother putting on his seatbelt as Wesker situated himself into the driver's seat and started the car with keys he had pulled out of his pocket.

"Should I bother sedating you?" Wesker asked casually, leaning back in his seat and giving a side glance to Chris. "I'd rather not waste the serum and it would be such a shame-"

"I won't do anything," Chris spoke gruffly yet quietly and his head immediately went to the window to his right, his eyes gazing over their surrounding.

"Oh? How can I be so sure?"

Chris sighed. Wesker was pushing him purposely and it was working.

"There would be no point in trying anything; you can easily overpower me," Chris muttered, not removing his gaze from the window.

"Good, as long as you keep that in mind, I won't have to waste a sedative," Wesker spoke as he began backing the car from its position and turning it around. The device he had carried in his opposite hand of the black bag was sitting on the dashboard and it wasn't for a good few hours that he even paid any attention to it.

By that time, the sun was already setting and Chris could see the thicket clearing into an open savannah. Wesker stopped the car about half a mile away from the edge of the thicket and pulled the device into his palm. He smirked, pressed it, and sped away from the wood. Chris sat and stared at the device Wesker tossed back onto the dashboard but before he was given a chance to question it, a large explosion from behind them pulled his attention. Chris jumped slightly and he looked in the side mirror outside of his window. All he could really see through the smoke were the trees on the outskirts of the thicket, fallen and burning. Chris sighed shakily and sunk backward into his seat.

This was going to be a long and quiet trip, Chris could feel it.


	5. Green

Even as night fell, Chris was unable to sleep. A mix of lack of trust for Wesker and worry clouded his thoughts and, thus, sleep did not partake. His gaze fell out of the clear window, the dark beyond showing nothing but a lusty shade of black and low silhouettes of various plants. A quiet sigh escaped his lips and his head positioned onto his palm while his elbow rested on the armrest connected to the door.

Chris had debated for long, silent hours whether or not he should ask Wesker of the outcome of his partners. He almost laughed sardonically at the thought. Chris couldn't possibly see Wesker telling the truth but knowing Wesker (which was something Chris prided himself of- how much he knew his ex-Captain), he would only lie if it benefited him. If anything, it would benefit him to tell the truth- depending on what the truth was. Chris had already figured out that he cared much more for what happened to Sheva and Jill over what was happening to him and if he found out they were alive, he would feel more at ease with his situation.

However, if they hadn't made it-

Chris had stopped at the thought. He wasn't about to figure out what he would do if Jill and Sheva weren't alive. The amount of dread he had felt for the years when everyone assumed Jill was dead- it was unbearable. He felt somewhere that she had to have been alive but everyone assumed he was just in denial. Unfortunately, this time he had no feelings besides the full worry and panic that swept him. Chris had felt his priorities switch from escaping, to his partners' whereabouts whilst waiting in the Great Hall a day beforehand and it was slowly overtaking him now.

Earlier in the day, he wondered if it was a sign that he was breaking as well- the time when he completely disregarded himself in full worry of whether or not his partners were okay. This was a thought he never had the chance to explore because an immediate defense of 'why should I worry, Jill and Sheva can both take care of themselves' seemed to come into play. He convinced himself that is what kept him assuming they were fine for however long he had been captured and seemed to completely forget the thought of him breaking, though, the thought seemed to arise again.

Chris told himself over and over that even though Sheva and Jill can take care of themselves, he had gone too long without hearing from them and that is what made the sudden priority change. Chris Redfield was a strong person and a few days of being captured, even by Wesker, would do nothing. True, he did feel himself slipping from thoughts of escaping but, again, he found himself blaming his worry of his partners.

"Are they alive?"

The three spoken words had meant to come out in a strong voice, not in a mumble. They were meant to come out with power behind them, not worry. Those three words were laced with Chris's emotions and he could almost see, without looking, the smirk that replaced Wesker's blank expression.

"Do you trust me to tell the truth, Chris?"

There was no chuckling behind Wesker's words. It was, to Chris's surprise, just a question.

"Maybe. Whichever the answer is, you get benefited. I don't see why you would lie," Chris muttered, his gaze still at the window.

"Oh really?" Wesker's voice sounded honestly intrigued. "How would it benefit me if I told you they were alive?"

Chris stayed silent a moment but, eventually, let out a sigh. He shifted his position, pulling his head from the comfortable position on his palm and let his arm rest on the door while his head leaned against the door frame.

"If I find out what happened to them, I won't care as much about escaping and-"

"As much as I believe that, Chris, I simply don't know if they're both alive," Wesker replied, cutting Chris off completely.

"You didn't kill them?" Chris asked in surprise.

"Jill wasn't present during the accident, Chris. I didn't have a chance to try," Wesker spoke with a distant, low chuckle following.

"-and Sheva?"

"She was, indeed, there but I do believe I recall her simply unconscious. She was alive but what came of her, I do not know," Wesker replied.

Chris could feel his heart pounding in his chest and if Wesker had the type of hearing Chris assumed the man had, then he could probably hear it through the silence. Chris' breath became shaky and for the first time since he had awoken in the very car he sat just days ago, he felt relieved. It was true, he didn't know for sure whether or not either of them were okay but if Sheva survived through the accident (whatever type of accident it was) and Jill wasn't around- he felt there was a higher probability they were alive.

Chris sank back into the passenger seat, his head resting on the head rest in ease and he felt a smile creep onto his lips. True, he didn't know for sure whether or not they were alive, but knowing Sheva most likely made it out alive, even unconscious, helped. The last he remembered talking to Jill, he had expected her to send help, maybe backup or even a getaway option- if that was the case, maybe Jill had saved Sheva? It couldn't have been that far of a long shot. He was sure Jill would easily be able to track Sheva but he wasn't completely positive- just enough to settle his nerves for the time being and maybe even cause him to relax as much as his lack of trust for Wesker would allow him.

"Does it really matter that much?"

Chris sat up straight at Wesker's question.

"Yes, of course. They're my partners- I know you could probably never understand something like loyalty and caring but as a human being, I can't just kill anyone who I get too close to," Chris snapped, his arms crossing over the front of his chest.

"Ah, so you remember that much do you? Excella really was without a chance, was she not?" Wesker asked rather proudly. Chris scoffed.

Chris, in reality, hadn't remembered a thing. In fact, he had only assumed Wesker killed Excella because that was just how Wesker was. He was more speaking about his former days in S.T.A.R.S and the night Wesker had betrayed the entire team. Chris tried comparing the man sitting next to him to the man he knew oh-so long ago but he couldn't find the heart to. He knew, somewhere deep down, that it was the same man who was behind everything yet all the missions they had gone through together, the trust built, and even the evolving friendship was just too hard to forget. His S.T.A.R.S. years was one of his best memories and he knew, though would easily deny it, that it was half due to Wesker (The other half belonged to Jill, of course).

Chris never bothered replying but instead, fought to keep awake as the coming hours of night and silence began lulling him into an unwanted sleep. He found himself almost constantly changing positions- going from leaning on his arm to sitting up straight and even putting both hands behind his head just to keep himself moving, but nothing seemed to work and he found himself asleep with his head against the window. He was only awoken when he felt the familiarity of the moving bumpy terrain cease and the humming of the jeep turn silent.

Chris slowly lifted his head from the window and found the car stopped, dawn breaking just enough to see his surroundings. They were stopped in front of another mine and, if Chris could guess, it might have been the same one they visited a mere few days ago. Chris looked to the driver's seat to find it empty but a quiet shuffling caused Chris to twist in his seat to look in the back seat. With a needle in his arm and a fist gripped tightly around the syringe, Wesker looked up. Chris looked from the syringe to Wesker and, even in his tired state, it hit him.

"That's what's been keeping you at full power," Chris muttered slowly.

"Not quite, Christopher," Wesker replied, pulling the needle from his arm. He set the syringe back into the suitcase and pulled another syringe from it, sliding that needle into the spot the previous one had just been.

_"J-Jill! Are you alright?" Chris's voice rang out in his head as images flashed before him. He saw Jill's moving video on his PDA in his palm as she began to speak._

_"I'm fine! Don't worry about me. Just listen carefully there's something I need to tell you," Chris felt Sheva lean over his shoulder but his eyes kept on Jill. "Wesker's superhuman strength, it comes from a virus but the virus is unstable. In order to maintain a balance, he must inject himself regularly with a serum," Chris kept quiet as Sheva spoke._

_"So if we cut the supply of serum, he loses his strength."_

_"Affirmative," Jill assured._

Chris yelled out in pain, both hands going to his head and his torso falling against his knees as he bent forward in his seat. He came to and a splitting headache had yet again arisen and was tormenting him. His eyes were closed tightly in pure throbs of pain and his hands were gripped tightly at the sides of his head, as if trying to keep it from exploding.

"It seems you've remembered yet another one of your little-" he paused, "- forgotten memories," Wesker said from somewhere beside him. Chris internally assumed he had finished injecting himself and was now back in the driver's seat, simply watching Chris's agony.

Chris stayed in his half-fetal position for what seemed like years. His head was still throbbing painfully yet as the pain slowly subsided, he realized Wesker was simply watching rather than driving. In fact, the car was still shut off. Chris sat up, painfully slow, a hand still gripping at the right side of his head as he looked around through squinted eyes, the powerful sun practically sending him into another pain spell.

"Did I say anything that time?" Chris muttered wearily, distantly glancing at the man beside him. To his surprise, Wesker replied.

"You did."

This worried Chris considering he had actually spoken during that memory and there was a large chance he had quoted everything his memory said. What worried him the most was the fact that he spoke whilst remembering things- even when he didn't speak in the memory. It was beginning to make him uneasy that he didn't actually know what he was saying and found himself wishing Wesker was more cooperative- but he simply internally laughed at the thought.

"Has the pain subsided?"

Chris blinked in surprise before questioning him back.

"Why?" He asked roughly, his hand lightly massaging his temple.

"We have quite a travel ahead of us and I'd rather not have to carry you. Again, mind you," Wesker spoke, annoyance lacing his voice and an agitated sigh lingering at the end of the sentence- Chris's constant questioning was most likely getting to him.

"Yeah, I guess it has," Chris lied, his hand lowering from his head unwillingly.

"Might as well begin, then," Wesker said, opening his car door and stepping out. Once out, he straightened himself and Chris noticed the attaché case in his left hand as he closed the door. Chris also slid from the car and kicked the door closed, his mind wandering to why they would possibly be going back into the mine that Wesker had already checked. His thoughts were automatically interrupted by the scorching heat that was now pouring over his sore and tired body- pain and discomfort seemed to erupt and spread through him like a plague and he immediately wanted into the shade of the awaiting mine.

"Step inside. There's a lantern at the foot of the entrance that we'll be using," Wesker commanded, rounding the car as Chris obeyed and, gladly, crossed the entrance of the mine.

The inside was rather damp and the air was heavy, even just being a few feet from the entrance, Chris found himself taking deeper breaths. The walls were all lined with shiny rocks and from what Chris could see from his position, the mine went down where, most likely, caves awaited them. He spotted the flickering lantern at his feet and picked it up, holding it up in unsuccessful attempts at seeing past a few feet beyond the shadowed sunlight. With the lantern held up, he was able to see the mine cart tracks clearly that started several feet in front of the entrance. They led deep into the darkness and he would have guessed they would be following those tracks for a long while.

When Chris heard Wesker's footsteps behind him, he began walking forward into the darkness beyond. Chris wasn't paying attention when a sudden drop in the terrain caused him to trip forward and thus, stumble farther down the mine. He caught himself more than several feet in front of a still Wesker who, found it oddly funny that Chris had almost fallen forward. Chris straightened and looked back at Wesker who stood towering above him by several feet. The drop Chris had fallen down was steep yet the mine cart tracks followed them, continuing forward and vanishing into the darkness that the lantern was unable to light. Wesker slid down, rather skillfully, to where Chris stood waiting- a smirk firmly planted on his face. Chris sighed discontentedly and continued through the darkness that parted for the light that was the flickering lantern.

The two walked, carefully trudging along the straight path that, every once and a while, took a sharp turn to the left or right. Chris didn't have another tripping incident, luckily, and was happy once the ground stopped descending and rather than sweating, he found himself feeling chilly.

"I wouldn't be surprised if this was another one of Umbrella's old laboratories," Chris muttered in the silence after several hours of just walking through the darkness, the rocky mine cart trail still underneath their feet. The further they got, Chris noticed, the mine seemed to get damper. In fact, he was now noticing there were large drips of water coming from the ceiling above them and he wondered what could be above them when they were miles down and in the middle of the Savannah.

"Then you just might be astonished," Wesker retorted, his gaze falling on the surrounding walls, his shaded eyes glowing in the lingering darkness behind Chris.

Hours passed in a bad combination of quickly and slowly- Chris didn't know what time of day it was but guessed, blindly, that it was around mid-day at least by the time the tunnel began expanding out. Chris was surprised to see that the tunnel didn't branch out into other tunnels and have multiple entrances or possibly other mining spots- it was a single tunnel leading to an open area ahead that was beyond site of the lantern. Chris sighed heavily, the heavy air vanishing and he found himself full of breath as they continued to walk.

Several steps in and Chris found himself inhaling deep breaths of fresh air and a distant noise sounded of running water. This surprised him because they hadn't gotten to any inclines recently and, as far as he knew, they were deep underground still. Another few steps and he began feeling a cool breeze on his already chilled face while the walls spread farther apart to the point where he could see neither one of them in the glow of the lantern. Another couple of steps and he stopped fully when Wesker's feet were no longer heard behind him. He turned on his heel to look around and saw that Wesker had gone.

He heard a low noise from quite a distance away and, turning into that direction, he saw a little glimmer of a flame. It illuminated Wesker's face ever so slightly as he brought it up and lit a torch that was mounted on the wall. Once lit, the flame seemed to spread out and illuminate almost the entire corner that it sat in. With the first torch lit, Chris was able to see a select area around where the torch sat and as Wesker went to each one, slowly, the place began lighting up.

First, Chris noticed the sparkling water through the shadows. Then, as each torch lit up, he was able to see the full beauty of the scene in front of him. There was a fairly large pond, easily compared to a small lake, several feet away from the wall. In fact, Chris was standing just inches away from the water's edge while Wesker was rounding the water to return to him. A small waterfall was flowing water from a large wall of rocks that lead rather closely to the ceiling. A small break of light could be seen from the ceiling directly above the waterfall but certainly not enough to brighten the whole room. Chris could clearly see a tunnel behind the waterfall that fell into the pond much clearer now due to the lit torches and he would guess anything that's where they would be headed next.

"We're going in there, right?" Chris asked, turning slightly to see Wesker standing beside him.

"We are," Wesker said simply before grabbing the lantern from Chris's grasp and nudging him forward into the water.

Chris grunted in disgust as water began soaking through his combat boots when he began inching into the water. In all honesty, it was both a relief and a burden to have to go through the pond. It was the first time in a long while since he was able to wash up and this would be, inadvertently, a good time. He inched further in and shivered when the water reached his ankles, sending chills up his legs and through his spine. The water itself wasn't overly cold but Chris certainly wouldn't call it warm and in the chilled room, the water wasn't helping fight back shivers. Chris pushed further in, hearing swishing behind him just as the water reached his knees, indicating Wesker had joined him.

Once Chris moved reluctantly into the water that was well past his waist, he was able to, bravely, duck underneath the water and finish the job. He forced his eyes to open underwater and was able to see that there were no life forms living in the lake. In fact, the lake bottom was pure rock and showed no sign of plant life, let alone sea creatures. He broke the water surface, running a hand through his short, wet hair before swimming forward and into the deeper end where he became rather close with the waterfall. The water around him was practically vibrating with the constant movement and felt energized just being in it.

Chris looked over his shoulder and watched Wesker swim swiftly around him and right through the waterfall, the water momentarily falling on Wesker's head and, most likely, making a mess of his hair and glasses before vanishing on the other side. Chris followed and found the short lived journey through the waterfall rather enjoyable, the water falling on his sore shoulders felt unmistakably soothing before he had to push forward and follow Wesker.

Looking up, Chris realized the tunnel began just as the lake turned shallow and turned back into a mining tunnel, which he found himself rather unhappy about. He dragged himself from the water, his wet clothes now weighing him down heavily in the gravity filled atmosphere. He began wringing out his clothing and shaking off the water from his body while Wesker simply shook the water from his sunglasses before replacing them on his face again and picking up the metallic briefcase that he had heaved, quite easily, across the lake. The two began down the narrow tunnel that was lit, Chris noticed, dully from incredibly old electric lights that ran along the ceiling and through tiny holes in the walls. From the duo's position in the middle of the tunnel, Chris could just make out a dead end ahead of them and he thought it better to stay quiet as the two approached it.

Wesker frowned and dropped to one knee, his right arm resting on his bent knee while his left began scratching at a suspicious pile of dirt just in front of the wall that ended the tunnel completely. Chris stood over Wesker's shoulder, watching for about a minute as Wesker fished out a black pouch. Unlike the previous black pouch, it was rather large and Chris could vaguely see several outlines of whatever the bag held, etched onto the velvety surface.

"That's what we came here for?" Chris asked, astonished.

"It is," Wesker spoke calmly, shifting to move the briefcase from his right so that it was now in front of him, allowing him to open it and slip the small pouch in.

"Brilliant plan, Wesker. Wander around Africa for a few weeks, collect ridiculous little bags, and hope I can entertain you either by caring about things or maybe trying to fight you when I have no real weapon," Chris scoffed but before he could actually move, Wesker had grabbed him by the neck and was pushing him roughly against the wall.

Chris grunted when his back collided with the sharply uneven rock wall and both hands went to Wesker's strong grip at his neck whilst he choked for air. Chris's back stung from the lingering bruising and he let out a hoarse yelp while he was forced harder into the jagged wall. Wesker said nothing but Chris watched his jaw clench and his body stiffen as he held the struggling brunet with little trouble. It took a long moment- almost to the point where Chris was seeing stars from lack of oxygen before Wesker let the man go.

"Need prevails over want," Wesker muttered, standing up straight and taking a deep breath while Chris gagged for air, limp on the floor of the cave.

"Th-that's the… second time.. I-I've heard you… say that," Chris spoke gruffly from his sore throat, coughing heavily after he pushed himself into a hunched but standing position. "H-How much… could you possibly…" Chris coughed hoarsely and swallowed hard, flinching at the stinging pain in his neck. "…Possibly need me… that it would overcome…. Your want to kill me…?" Chris forced out slowly, leaning gently against the wall as he swallowed hard again, the stinging in his throat slowly subsiding.

"We've done this exact thing, just yesterday, do you remember?" Wesker asked, his eyes intently watching Chris struggle to stay standing. "This exact thing," he repeated. "Perhaps you should take this as a sign and stop trying, Christopher. It would be much easier on both of us and as much as I enjoy hurting you-" Wesker paused to chuckle darkly. "-I don't know how much longer you can withstand if you keep doing such things so often. You're strong, I'll admit, but you're recovering from a bad accident yet you continue to-"

"Save it, Wesker," Chris grumbled, pushing off the wall and walking slowly back towards the water.

"So much fight in you," Wesker spoke with a rather happy sigh and a smirk lingering among his lips.

Not a word was spoken when Chris walked directly into the water, without stopping. His cold damp clothes immediately felt warm and, even in his hurting state, he regretted getting out into the chilly air once again. He began wringing out his clothes, pulling up his shirt and twisting it between his fists, water falling out of it with ease while Wesker joined him on land. The water seemed to glide off the blond, his suit seeming to be almost waterproof with the way his body was dry by the time Chris was done getting rid of the water from his clothing. Wesker took his time to slick his hair back once again before he stopped Chris from picking up the unlit lantern.

"We'll be staying here for the night. We will return to the car in the morning and set out again," Wesker spoke, setting down his briefcase before sitting down beside it, his legs outstretched in front of him, one raised slightly so he could set an arm on it lazily.

"Great," Chris mumbled, getting comfortable in between two torches before sitting against the wall.

Neither of them spoke for several hours. The little light that shined through the ceiling was gone, telling Chris it was night, yet neither of them slept. Wesker sat, in the same position on the shore of the lake, overlooking the waterfall, quiet and still. Eventually, just as Chris was sure he had lost track of time, he stood up. He removed his dry shirt from his torso and dropped it onto the rock ground beside him. He removed his shoes and socks, both which were still drying, and laid them out accordingly. Wesker must have heard the shuffling but didn't bother turning to look at what Chris was doing, instead, keeping a still eye on the water in front of him.

Within seconds, Chris was walking back into the water, his pants still covering the lower half of his body. He walked knee deep in before he felt Wesker's eyes on his bruised back and turned to look at him. The two stared at each other a moment before Chris continued into the water, knowing very well that Wesker was watching him attentively.

Once Chris was in far enough that the majority of his body was underwater, around his upper stomach, he began slowly running his right hand along his left arm, rubbing water over it and, hopefully, removing the dirty feeling he'd had for the past several days. Once he had cleaned up to his left shoulder, he started on his opposite arm, then his neck, his torso, and finally his face and hair. He ducked his head under the water, inhaling a breath just seconds before submerging himself. He scrubbed at his hair and face before emerging through the surface again. He slicked his hair back, before he darted his hand underwater and began scrubbing at his feet and covered legs.

When he felt he was clean enough, he shook his head free of most of the water and walked out, returning to his spot beside his discarded clothing. He didn't bother wringing out his pants but did use his shirt to dry himself off before laying it out beside his shoes. His head fell against the wall as he sighed and almost jumped when Wesker spoke around ten minutes after he got out.

"Your involuntary flashbacks-" Chris jolted up slightly at the sudden break of silence and looked at the back of Wesker's head while he continued. "You've spoken of a serum."

" _PG67A/W_ ," Chris said simply, "what of it?"

"Do you know what it is?"

"Why does it matter?" Chris asked in a grumble, his head sliding back to rest on the wall again.

"So you do know what it is?"

"No, Wesker. I don't. I know it's a serum, I know it's important to you, but I don't know what the purpose is."

"Your memory tells otherwise," Wesker said quietly.

"Jill said that the serum keeps the virus in you stable. That's all I know."

"Do you know the importance of the serum?"

"No, Wesker, I don't. Are you going somewhere with this little conversation because, in this position, I would rather the silence," Chris snapped his eyes on the high ceiling, focusing intently on a certain spot just to avoid looking at the blond.

"Your subconscious knows, then," Wesker continued, "Now the question is, do I make you remember or work to keep it forgotten? How would it benefit me?"

"Damn it, Wesker, this is my memory. Eventually, even if nothing reminds me of it completely, I'll remember. It may not be tonight or within the next few days but if my subconscious knows, I'm sure I'll find out soon enough whether you like it or not," Chris pulled his gaze from the rocky ceiling and it fell on the waterfall again.

Wesker was thinking out loud, which meant, it was most likely a trap- a game. Chris was, in Wesker's mind, a simple pawn and Chris wasn't going to play his mind game. Chris's mindset was simple; don't respond. Unfortunately, this plan seemed to already be deteriorating.

"What kind of accident were you in?" Wesker asked before shifting into a different seating position for the first time in hours.

"I don't remember," Chris muttered tiredly.

"What happened to Excella Gionne?"

"I don't remember," Chris's words came out in a whisper and he could feel the questions weighing on his mind like somehow, subconsciously, he was pushing for answers that he knew but weren't available for him.

"How long has it been since the accident?"

"I don't remember," Chris felt the weight of the questions get heavier and he began feeling rather drowsy, his mind pushing for more information that just wasn't there.

"What day is it?"

"I don't remember." Chris didn't realize it but Wesker got to his feet and was making his way towards him. He was beginning to get a headache from the questioning and knew Wesker was planning something when he knelt in front of him.

"When was the last time you saw Sheva Alomar?"

"I don't remember," Chris was getting increasingly uncomfortable as each question came one after the other, persistent in finding some answer or maybe, just persistent in cracking Chris.

"When was the last time you saw Jill Valentine?"

"I don't remember," Wesker then asked something that caught Chris off guard.

"What color are my eyes?"

Chris turned his gaze so that, instead of intently looking past him, he was looking directly at him. The brunet gaped at the blond for a moment before swallowing and responding in a low whisper-

"Green."


	6. Deal

"You are wrong."

Wesker's voice spread through the silence thickly and Chris felt himself shift uncomfortably. The two were back in the jeep after a long morning of traveling out of the mine. There hadn't been a single word spoken since the night before, after Chris replied to Wesker's question. Wesker had merely stood up, turned away, and returned to his place on the shore of the lake.

"About?" Chris looked at the blond carefully, the high noon sun shadowing his facial features yet somehow taking away the ominous aura about him.

"The correct answer-" Wesker began, ignoring Chris's confusion, "-is grey."

Chris let out a scoff that somehow turned into an outright laugh. Repositioning himself in the passenger seat, he crossed his arms, shaking his head. Wesker really did seem to have lost his mind. Not only was the question random but Chris was sure he was right- He would never forget his ex-Captain's real eye color. He remembered it so clearly- Chris just simply wasn't wrong.

"No they aren't-" Chris stopped himself. "-I mean they weren't. They were green," Chris muttered, his gaze returning to the window where they were passing through small, empty villages.

"Are you really that certain?" Wesker chuckled darkly after speaking, a smirk apparent on his lips while they turned into another abandoned town.

"Yes. They were more green than blue but when the light hit a certain way..." Chris continued to mumble as he tried to explain the eyes that had haunted him for almost a decade. "So yeah, I'm sure they weren't grey."

Wesker and Chris both remained silent in the hours following the discussion and it wasn't until Wesker stopped the car in a large village that Chris even realized his curiosity of where they were heading now. He sat up from his position against the window and looked around at the surroundings before glancing at Wesker.

"The next target should be somewhere in this village, according to the documents I received from the mansion," Wesker spoke, pulling the keys from the ignition and pocketing them.

"Exactly how many more are there?" Chris asked as Wesker opened the driver's side door and stepped out.

"Very few," Wesker closed the door as Chris followed, sliding out of the car and rounding it while Wesker retrieved the metallic briefcase.

In the setting sunlight, Chris caught a glimpse of Wesker's paled skin and the smallest hint of an unbalanced step. Chris watched from the front of the car as Wesker removed his glasses and looked around the large village. They were standing in the entrance of a road that lead directly to the center. There were open wooden shacks aligning the road, one after another, all looking empty. Towards the middle, a dead fire, no smoke or existing flame to show any sort of recent ignition. The road continued past the center of the village, turning a corner to other parts that Chris was unable to see from where he stood.

"Is it really wise to be doing this at night?" Chris asked, looking to the sunset that was beginning to cast an orange glow upon everything the light touched.

"Perhaps not for you, Christopher," Wesker shot, his eyes flashing the cat-like red that Chris despised before turning and beginning down the dirt road. Chris began after Wesker, keeping several feet away from him as he followed, his ears listening for any movement besides their own.

By the time they arrived at the first set of huts, the sun had gone and night was now upon them. Chris looked up at the night sky and was entranced with the gleaming full moon that gave aplenty amounts of light. The stars danced and twinkled for miles upon miles on every side of him and Chris found himself wondering how many nights he would be allowed to see like this. Exactly how long was Wesker going to keep him alive for? Would he ever see Jill or Sheva again?

"The package should be hidden in one of these houses. Come, Chris," Wesker called behind him before walking up a small set of stairs and into the first large hut on the left of the road. Chris obeyed, a tingling sensation of annoyance bubbling in the pit of his stomach, and also went up the set of stairs, the wood creaking under his weight each step he took.

Once on the wooden flooring, he was able to fully see the inside of the hut with help from the glow of the moon and the cracks in the wooden ceiling. Unlike the ones he and Sheva had come across, there were dividers, separating rooms. Two divided rooms were to their left while a small cooking area was in the middle of the large circular area. To the right was a single window and besides several blankets in the divided rooms, the hut was empty.

As the two continued silently out of the hut and into the one beside it, Chris became caught in a thought that he had avoided for the whole day- Why had Wesker asked him about his eye color? What was the importance of that? Was it a test of his memory? As far as Wesker knew, Chris remembered everything before the 'accident' which made the thought completely insensible. Chris found himself wondering if Wesker had expected a different answer than the one Chris gave.

For all Chris knew, Wesker had expected him to stupidly reply 'red' rather than 'green' but Chris knew Wesker better than to expect that. Chris saw the human in people and, even at off times, Wesker fell under the category of 'human'. Over and over, the brunet tried telling himself Wesker was inhuman- a monster- but that wasn't what he saw when he looked at the man. Even with the glowing cat eyes, the vast amount of power he held, and the countless times he had tried to kill him, Chris still saw his old Captain behind Wesker's cold and lifeless eyes.

In fact, when Wesker removed his sunglasses and looked at Chris merely minutes beforehand, Chris hadn't seen a monster. Instead, he saw a man desperate to keep the monster inside him tame but that didn't take away from what Chris had to do or what he felt towards the man. Of course, anger and hatred still brewed within Chris but there was surely a difference between what he felt for the man and what he felt when he looked at him.

"This one is empty as well," Wesker kicked over an empty pot and left the hut, Chris behind him.

"It's only the second one, there's at least three dozen in the village," Chris muttered, following him into the third hut.

"Time is not on our side, Christopher," Wesker growled from one of the divided rooms while Chris stood awkwardly in the doorway.

Chris really was getting tired of hearing that but without knowledge of the situation behind their lack of time, Chris grew quiet on the subject.

"Why'd you ask?" Chris asked quickly as Wesker emerged from one of the divisions and began testing some of the floorboards with his foot as he did with the other huts. Wesker stopped once the question processed and seemed rather surprised by the question, to Chris's shock.

"Is now really the opportune moment for questions, Chris?" Wesker asked, turning on his heel and striding across the hut to check a few piles of closed baskets in the corner.

"There never is a good time, Wesker," Chris paused a moment to let Wesker pass by him and both emerged from the hut, "I never knew you to dodge a question."

Wesker didn't respond but continued into the next hut, Chris behind him.

"What answer were you expecting?" Chris asked, leaning against the wall beside the doorway as Wesker began doing another search.

"Certainly not the one given," Wesker spoke from behind one of three divided rooms.

"Then what did you expect?"

"Chris, I'm beginning to lose my temper," Wesker warned, crossing into the second divided room. Chris could vaguely hear the sound of material being shaken and thrown along with a loud crash of a clay pot.

"If I help you, will you answer me?"

Chris didn't know it was he who said it until the words hung in the air. Full regret took over and he quickly began trying to think of a way to take them back if Wesker took the deal. Was the brunet really that desperate for answers?

Wesker emerged slowly from one of the divided rooms, his glowing eyes on Chris who had pushed off of the wall and was now standing awkwardly, his gaze down. Chris swallowed before looking up at Wesker and taking a shaky breath.

"Christopher, I will give you only one chance to take that back. Does your want for the answer outweigh your disdain for helping me?"

Chris knew in every fiber of his being that Wesker would most likely give a false answer or even no answer at all. Chris knew that it went against everything he'd fought for the past decade to help Wesker but no matter how he looked at it- Chris was going to give the same answer.

"I'll help you if you answer me- I'm sure."

Chris swallowed again as the corner of Wesker's lips twitched into a smirk but he remained still and determined despite his badgering mind. Wesker took several steps towards the doorway, looked at the countless huts all lined up besides one another then looked down to the watch around his wrist. His gaze flashed to the briefcase in his hand and the sunglasses that were also sharing a fist and he inhaled, looking at Chris who was now beside him.

"Alright then. Assist me in finding the bag and you will have your answers. Don't miss anything and keep in mind that time is quite an issue," Wesker instructed. Chris nodded and began out the door but Wesker stopped him by setting his free hand on his left shoulder.

"Something else?" Chris asked after a long moment of Wesker being silent.

"What does it matter to you what my reasoning was for asking the question?"

"Didn't you say we're limited on time?" Chris asked, fighting off the smirk that was pushing to pass his serious expression.

Without speaking, Wesker released Chris's shoulder and, with one last fleeting look at Wesker's glowing eyes, Chris began down the small set of stairs. He crossed the dirt road and backtracked slightly to the first hut on the right side of the road.

"I must be insane," Chris muttered under his breath as he climbed the small set of stairs and entered the minute house.

Squinting through the dark, Chris began searching by stepping on certain boards, testing them with his foot to see if they moved at all. When he was sure there was no hidden compartments, he began going through some empty pots and foot baskets. He shook out the layered blankets in the only divided room, tested the floor again, and left when he was sure he hadn't missed anything.

He vaguely caught Wesker's shadow from across the road entering another hut, his eyes still glowing faintly from what Chris could see and continued into the following huts. One after another, each came up empty apart from various trinkets and empty pots. Chris was on his seventh house, Wesker on his ninth, by the time a half an hour passed and Chris could clearly hear Wesker getting more and more frustrated as each hut came up empty.

When Chris came to his eighth house and the road began turning, he leaned to the left slightly, looking past the hut he was in front of and through the moonlit darkness to a much larger hut. He eyed it carefully before walking towards it, his gaze drifting to several huts ahead of him on the opposite side to where Wesker and the sound of baskets breaking was. Chris hurried down the street and gave the two-story hut a quick once over before rushing inside.

Due to the higher ceiling, most of the light was blocked out and generally only reached the second floor. A few beams of light joined with his arms outstretched in front of him to make sure he didn't run into anything was enough to guide him through the darkness of the first floor. Several minutes of searching through empty pots got him nowhere and he was soon feeling around for a way onto the second floor.

A ladder that was attached to an opening in the ceiling was soon found near the center of the room and Chris immediately began, blindly, climbing up it. Each step creaked painfully under his weight and the worry of falling onto his already bruised back crossed over his mind just before reaching the top. He crawled through the small hole and into the visible moonlight that lit up the room through the open window. He stood up and looked around, seeing nothing but a large room with a few pots in the corner. It wasn't until he saw the second ladder that, apparently, went to a third floor that he got somewhat excited.

He crossed the room, careful not to step in any open holes that he couldn't see and looked up to where the latter led to. It was a small storage space, far from large enough to crawl around, that was only about a foot from the ceiling. From his position, he saw a single closed box and felt another rush of excitement as he began climbing the ladder.

Chris got to the top, his head touching a long wooden board that was most likely supporting most of the ceiling. His eyes squinted through the darkness at the box on the landing directly in front of him and, using his right hand while his left kept him steady on the ladder, he was able to get the box open. He reached inside and grasped onto a small velvety bag before taking it out and looking at it in his palm.

Chris had found it.

Quickly, he rushed down the ladder beneath him and across the second floor, finding the ladder down to the first floor with ease. Rushing down that latter as well, he bolted through the darkness and jogged back up the street to where he heard Wesker destroying more items within one of the nearby huts. It took a long moment for Chris to realize the oddity behind his rush to get the package to Wesker but immediately ignored the thought as he called to the blond.

"Hey, Wesker," Chris said from the foot of the small stairs, his eyes on the shadow form that was Wesker. He turned and Chris momentarily stared- Wesker's eyes were still glowing but very, very faintly. In fact, if it hadn't been so dark in that hut specifically, it would have been difficult to tell they were glowing at all. "I-I found what you were looking for," Chris muttered, holding up the bag.

Wesker began exiting the hut, his face coming into view of the moonlight, showing Chris what he had been missing the previous hour that the two had spent searching. Wesker's face was pale and practically glowing in the moonlight and there was an obvious fatigued aura about him. He looked tired- exhausted, even, and Chris couldn't help but raise his eyebrows in concern.

"Good, Chris," Wesker held out his gloved hand to Chris and the brunet obeyed, dropping the small bag into his palm.

"I still expect an answer," Chris said as he watched Wesker bend down, open the briefcase, and set the bag within it. Without a response, Wesker closed the briefcase and stood up straight, looking at Chris wearily. "Maybe we should stay here tonight," Chris suggested, wondering how Wesker would be able to drive in the state that he was.

"Nonsense, our time-"

"Have you seen yourself? You look like you're about to pass out and you expect to drive like that?"

Wesker replaced his sunglasses over his eyes and began up the dirt road, back to the jeep, without another word. Chris huffed and rushed after him, his hands balled in tight fists at his sides.

Chris couldn't quite understand why Wesker looked so frail. The man was Albert Wesker, self proclaimed God with inhuman powers of strength and stamina- it didn't make any sense. It had only been, at most, an hour since Chris had actually seen Wesker. How could the man lose all of his strength in such a short period of time?

The two reached the jeep but neither got inside. Wesker leaned against the hood while Chris lingered around the passenger side door, watching the other man intently. Wesker had both hands on the hood, his shoulders were hunched and his head was hanging slightly. Chris eyed the briefcase at Wesker's feet but his gaze returned to Wesker once he spoke-

"Those injections are weakening you," Chris stated just before Wesker began chuckling, looking up at Chris from his hunched position.

"You're wrong again, Chris," Wesker didn't bother elaborating before picking up the briefcase and standing up straight.

The two got back into the car, Wesker putting his collections of injections in the backseat as per usual, but the two just sat there. Neither moved, Wesker didn't start the car and Chris couldn't seem to find his voice. For a long moment, Chris found himself staring at the reflection of the moon on the hood of the car before looking through the window to see the real thing.

"Are you not going to ask what you wanted to know?" Wesker asked, pulling the keys from his pocket but not sticking them into the ignition.

"I didn't think right now was a good time," Chris replied, his head rolling onto the head rest, putting the moon out of sight.

"Now would be a good time as any, Chris," Wesker said with a visible shrug.

"Alright," Chris pulled his head from the head rest of the passenger seat and looked at Wesker, "Why did you ask me what your eye color was?"

"It was a test-"

"Not everything is a test with you, Wesker. You've had the past hour to come up with some excuse and I'd bet that's it. What's the real reason?" Chris retorted, cutting Wesker off almost immediately.

"You want my answer and I'm giving it to you," Wesker sounded exasperatedly tired from Chris's perspective and he would have guessed his condition, whatever it was, was growing worse. "I was simply curious of your answer. The test was merely a way to give me a minimal glimpse into what you saw when you looked at me."

"When I replied, you were surprised. Did you expect something else?"

"This isn't worth discussing further, Chris. Time is of the essence and the deal was clear, I've held up my end of the bargain," Wesker said sternly, the keys going into the ignition. "One last place on the list- we are making excellent time." Chris remained silent as Wesker drove through the village and changed direction completely.

Wesker drove for hours and Chris, from time to time, couldn't help but chance glances at the man. Each glance seemed to make Wesker steadily worsen and even as Chris began tiring, he couldn't help wonder what was wrong with him. His mind process, after hours upon hours of dwelling on it, began expanding and it steadily became out of control. His mind was soon accusing him of pondering it much too long and he began into questioning why he cared. Wesker losing his power, or strength at least, should have been a good thing- right?

So then, why was Chris worried?

There was a long few minutes where he tried convincing himself that he was only worried because if something did happen to Wesker, he would be in quite a bit of trouble. He didn't know where in Africa they were, he didn't have any weapons or means of survival, and he had no communication to the only two people he would guess to be looking for him. Once he, however, came up with several ideas on how he would possibly survive and get out of the situation and still found himself worried about Wesker, the idea of his own personal safety behind his reason immediately faltered. It wasn't until he became so tired, he began spacing out by staring at the constant moving environment that his mind actually settled down.

Chris was rudely awoken, not realizing he'd fallen asleep, when Wesker drove over a large bump that startled and shook him from his sleep. He sat up from his position against the seat and looked around curiously. Night was breaking into early, early morning and they seemed to be headed towards a rather large watering hole. There was, surprisingly, not many exotic animals surrounding it and any normal animals nearby quickly vanished at the sight of the car. They still seemed to be in the savannah area, as there were plains of dirt for miles around, but they were, unmistakably, going straight for the pond.

Taking a quick glance towards Wesker, Chris was surprised to see obvious beads of sweat dropping from Wesker's brow. His jaw was tightened, as if he knew Chris was glancing at him from the corner of his eye, and he seemed, overall, lacking energy. Frowning, Chris turned away as Wesker stopped the car, turned it off, and got out.

"Chris, refill the gas tank," Wesker commanded, leaving the keys in the car before slipping out and getting into the backseat.

"Where-"

"In the back," Wesker muttered from the backseat.

Chris sighed and did as he was told- getting out of the car and stretching before moving around to the back and opening the trunk part of the jeep. The back was filled with bags of food, countless jugs of water, and several gasoline canisters of gas. Chris grabbed one and pulled it out before rounding the car to the driver's side where the gas tank sat between the back door and the back of the car.

He flipped open the lid to the gas tank, removed the lid from the hose on the gas canister, and matched the nozzle with the tank before tipping it. As the gas poured in, Chris watched through the back window, Wesker injecting himself with PG67A/W. He threw the syringe aside, picked up the opposite serum, and injected it as well. Chris watched intently as Wesker's head leaned back against the backseat head rest and sighed as he discarded the second syringe.

Pulling his attention from the troubled blond, Chris pulled the container away from the gas tank and replaced the lid over the tank before doing the same on the canister. He, again, rounded the car and set the half filled can back in it's place before shutting the back and returning to the passenger seat. Chris felt the need to say something but had major contradicting feelings about the thought.

"If it isn't the serum then what is it?" Chris asked, looking to the rear-view mirror where he got a perfect reflection of Wesker, still sitting in the backseat.

Wesker still looked tired and the question seemed to just exasperate him. Wesker sat up straight with minor trouble as he made himself comfortable in the seat. Chris took this as a sign that perhaps Wesker was taking a well needed break but he felt the man was a bit too stubborn for that.

"It was you- you and that Alomar girl," Wesker hissed, his sleeve going across his forehead.

"What are you-"

"I know you remember it, Chris. I heard you shouting in the hallway at the estate."

Chris had to dig into his memory to remember what had happened. It only took a split second for it all to come piling onto him, being on the floor, writhing in agony, and the quick memory of him injecting Wesker with _PG67A/W_.

_The needle was sticking from the man's chest as he stumbled backwards several steps. Chris could hear him groan as he stumbled forward half a step, his hand on the syringe, and he fell to one knee. He gripped the syringe, growled through a tightly clenched jaw, and pulled the syringe from his chest, a trail of blood flying after it as it was thrown aside._

_"Did it work?" Sheva asked from beside Chris._

_"I think so…" Chris spoke apprehensively, watching the man struggle._

_Wesker limped into a standing position and then progressed towards the two slowly. Mid step, he dropped to both knees, his head in his hands as he yelled out in agony. Agony felt too loose of a word for Chris to use, he had never heard Wesker yell like that- like he was in pure anguish. His hands descended from the sides of his head, pulling off his glasses to reveal fire red cat eyes- Chris had rarely seen them that bright._

_Slamming the sunglasses beside him, he growled and stood up._

_"This isn't over, Chris!" He growled threateningly, his eyes flashing viciously towards both of them before turning quickly and running off, jumping from ground to an area that was separated rather far away, landing on a box only to jump to somewhere Chris couldn't see._

_"Sheva, he's getting away, hurry!"_

Chris yelled out in pain, his entire torso pressed against his thighs as he went into a fetal position in the passenger seat. His eyes burned with tears as he swore, wholeheartedly, that his head was going to split open. His temples were throbbing and his entire forehead was sweating through the agony. His hands were clawing at the back of his head, pulling his messy hair violently.

"You aren't remembering it all. There's more," Wesker's voice said from somewhere behind him.

It was like Wesker's voice sent a trigger through his mind and, once again, Chris was being pushed into a memory.

_Chris and Sheva were now on a jet plane, though to where, Chris was unsure. The two had theirs guns at the ready as they walked through the storage area, looking around for any signs of Wesker._

_"It seems I may have underestimated you, Chris," Wesker's voice rang out harshly through the intercom system- or so Chris thought until he saw the man hunched over across the room from them._

_"Save it, Wesker. There's no one left to help you now!" Chris yelled at the hunched figure._

_"I don't need anyone else," Wesker growled before slamming his fist into the metallic wall beside him. He stood up, using the wall for support before speaking again, "I have, Uroboros! In less than five minutes we'll reach the optimal altitude for missile deployment," Chris and Sheva raised their guns, "Uroboros will be released into the atmosphere ensuring complete global saturation."_

_With one last breath, Wesker bolted forward towards the two. Chris and Sheva had just enough time to avoid the attack by separating before Wesker went directly to Chris. Wesker was able to move enough for Sheva to not have a direct hit while keeping Chris's gun at bay before kicking him aside. Wesker did a sharp turn, pulled out a magnum, and began firing at Sheva who bolted behind a pole._

_"Your feeble attempts only delay the inevitable."_

_Chris recovered and was in mid attempt of grabbing his gun and aiming when Wesker advanced toward him, still shooting at Sheva and somehow dodging every shot Chris fired at him._

_"The entire world will be infected," Wesker spoke as he pulled out a hidden gun just as he stopped in front of Chris before pointing it straight at Chris's forehead. The two sat there for a long moment, Chris still on the floor and Wesker towering over him just before he spoke, "A new Genesis is at hand and I will be the creator."_

_Chris saw it, Sheva running at Wesker with her knife drawn. When she slashed, Wesker acrobatically avoided it, jumping into the air and going into a full body twist before landing on the ceiling. He had just enough time to simply aim at Chris before Chris took the shot first, knocking one gun from his hand. Wesker dropped down and his legs wrapped around Chris's shoulders, rather awkwardly, while he found stabilization from the ground with his hands. He was able to knock Chris over slightly, trip him, and kick him, quite literally, across the room._

_Sheva came in, swinging her knife and was able to stick it into Wesker's arm. Instead of reacting to it, Wesker simply hit her with the end of the knife and grabbed her by the neck with his knife-less arm. She swung her legs up and propelled both of them down, rolling and getting out of his grasp._

_"I've had enough of your bullshit!"_

_While Wesker was attempting to recover from the roll, he was taken by surprise when Chris came up behind him and stabbed more of the PG67A/W into his neck. Yelling out, he pulled away from Chris's grasp and stumbled forward, dropping to both knees._

_"You're just one of Umbrella's leftovers," Chris said, just before an automated voice began announcing the missile deployment._

_"You know what we have to do," Sheva said attentively, eyeing the over-ride lever across the room._

_"Alright, I'm going for the over-ride lever. Cover me!"_

_Wesker watched, pain sweeping across his face, as Chris turned and began running for the lever. Wesker began to run and Sheva stopped and aimed before shooting. Wesker jumped into the air, hopping from one wall to another, dodging each bullet as he made his way to Chris. Reaching the lever, Chris pulled it just in time for Wesker to miss, digging his fist into the wall for a second time as Chris ducked._

_"You'll pay for that!"_

Chris jolted awake, his body shaking violently as he tried sitting up from his laying position. He looked around cautiously and saw Wesker in an armchair beside the bed he was laying on. The room itself seemed fancy but new and attended to. The wallpaper was a royal red along with the curtains on the window, the bedding, and the carpet. There was a desk beside the bed Chris was laying on and above it was the window that showed a stream of sunlight. A closet with a full mirror was displayed across from the bed and the door was to Chris's right, beside which sat Wesker.

A stinging headache erupted the second his eyes split open and his temples felt on fire. He waited a long, long moment for the agony to subside and, through shaky breaths, he was able to ask-

"What-"

"You became unconscious. Perhaps it was too soon for you to remember-"

"The memory broke off. There was more after it, I can feel it, and everything feels so blocked still," Chris muttered, his gaze falling on his reflection in the mirror across from the bed. He was still holding a hand to his temple from when he woke up but the pain itself was subsiding as silent minutes ticked by.

After he felt comfortable enough to remove his hand, Chris looked to Wesker and frowned. The first memory seemed to stick with him more than the second. The agony that was Wesker's cries of pain- they repeated over and over in Chris's head and he visibly shivered as Wesker looked back.

"It was the over-dose. That's what's doing this to you?"

"You don't even understand what's happening, Christopher," Wesker growled, his hands visibly gripping the armrest maliciously.

"I-Is it killing you?" Chris asked apprehensively. He was treading onto very dangerous ground and honestly found himself wondering if he would be alive much longer.

"No- It's much worse than death," Wesker gave a fatigued chuckle, shaking his head.

"Then-"

"Simply, I'm losing my superhuman abilities."


	7. Faith

Silence overtook the two, but it was nothing new. Chris forgot that he was wondering where he was. He forgot about the fact that, minutes before, he was in complete agony by a simple headache. Instead, his mind was focused on Wesker- What did the man mean? He couldn't be losing his superhuman abilities that quickly let alone easily.

"You see," Chris's head shot back up to look at Wesker who was still stationed rather comfortably in the armchair, "the serum's job was to break down the progenitor virus just enough to prevent mutation. However, in large doses, such as the one given by you, it can be deadly- though, I'm sure you were highly aware of that. Instead of harming myself, it continued to break down the virus and, with the high dosage, it inevitably damaged the virus beyond repair."

Chris thought for a long moment and wondered if he was in the situation for asking questions. He eyed Wesker carefully but he showed nil besides simple content, calm, and collectedness that was the blond. Chris let out a slow, eased sigh and licked the inside of his lip, not wanting the question to blurt out like most of them ended up doing.

"Why do you still have all of your abilities if the virus is beyond repair?" The question came apprehensively but Wesker remained calm whilst he answered, showing no sign of the anger or irritation that presented mildly before.

"The virus is trying to repair itself but as it continues to fail, the virus begins attempting to mutate as it is meant to. The serums I take every morning prevent the mutation and also attempt repairing of the virus. Unfortunately, the latter has quite a few issues and I am faced with the probability of ability loss."

"Would you be human?"

Chris didn't know where the question had come from, something that seemed to happen often, but it was there and he asked it. There was a hint of sadness in his voice that he felt himself push away. Wesker was Wesker- that was simple enough. There was no reason to pity the man for losing something that he never should have acquired in the first place.

"The virus will still be active in my system and I believe you aren't naïve enough to assume humanity could ever-"

"Would you change at all?" Chris interrupted the man but Wesker remained calm.

"I already have, Chris," a dark chuckle followed as Wesker stood and took a few steps towards the bed Chris was sitting comfortably in.

Wesker was soon towering over the edge of said bed. The bed itself was risen a few inches off the ground and the top edge came to Wesker's mid-thigh so, despite the blond towering the bed, Chris and Wesker were really level with each other, though, Chris was in the middle of the bed so they weren't quite face to face. The only sound that could be heard was Chris' awkward shifting underneath the blankets so that he was now facing Wesker, his legs crossed and the blanket now covering only his left leg.

"How have you changed, exactly?" Chris asked quietly, his eyes raking over the man like some physical change could be seen but he saw nothing different. Wesker still wore his sunglasses, he still looked strong, he still looked like the Albert Wesker the brunet had known for all these years.

"I don't believe it is worth telling, Chris. Now, are we finished or-"

"Take off your sunglasses," Chris had interrupted Wesker again and not only with a demand but a confident demand.

Chris could see the visible arch of an eyebrow behind the shades on Wesker along with the smirk that accompanied it. If anything had changed about the man, it had to be that- it had to be his eyes. Chris wanted to see the eyes of his former Captain, the eyes he'd never forgotten about yet fade with memory each time he was forced to see the replaced glowing ones that were usually before him.

"Alright."

Amusement laced Wesker's voice as he raised his right hand to the hinge of his glasses and pulled them slowly down his nose until they were off. Chris looked away once it was revealed to him that the cat-like inhuman eyes still lingered however dim they glowed before him.

"Not what you expected, I assume," Wesker mused before replacing his glasses.

"I guess not," Chris muttered. "Where are we?"

"A Tricell facility where I plan to carry out the remainder of my research on repairing the virus," Wesker spoke, his hands joining behind his back.

"Is that your master plan?" Chris asked, looking up at Wesker in disbelief.

"Yes, Chris. This is, indeed, my plan," Wesker's jaw clenched threateningly but nothing else showed of impatience.

"Why am I here, then? Am I going to be the test subject in all of this research?"

"Now, Chris, why would I bother dragging you all this way just to have you be subjected to torture?"

"Do you even have to ask, Wesker?"

"Like it or not, Chris, you aren't a key part in this plan. You are simply here to be here," Wesker's jaw unclenched as another smirk snuck upon his tight lips.

"Then why did you bring me all this way if I wasn't important?" Chris asked angrily, his fists clenching at the bed material around him.

"I'm afraid it's a bit early to release that answer. However, as I was saying earlier, my time is limited. Roam around the facility at your will, I wouldn't imagine you could find your way out if attempted to and even if you did, where would you go?"

Chris remained still as Wesker turned and began leaving. The moment the blond had closed the door, Chris was on his feet and rushing to said door, opening it slowly to see an empty, metallic hallway. Across from him was a room that read 'lab' on the front and he automatically assumed that's where Wesker had gone. Looking farther down the hallway, Chris realized there was a room several yards to both sides yet the opposite side had only the lab as far as he could tell.

Sighing, Chris retreated back into the room and turned, seeing a large, covered platter sitting on the bedside table. The brunet gaped at it a moment, hastily pushing through his memory wondering if he'd simply missed it while examining the room around him. Shrugging, Chris sat himself on the bed and lifted the lid from the platter, seeing a simple yet elegantly placed piece of meat beside a small pile of vegetables and a large cup of water. Chris chuckled dryly, comparing it to the last 'meal' Wesker had made for him and shook his head as he set the lid aside and picked up the utensil that was previously hidden beside the platter. Chris pulled himself into the bed, his back against the headboard, and set the platter into his lap before beginning to eat it.

An hour had gone by after he ate the meal and he had become lost in thought. How long had he been unconscious? How long was Wesker going to survive by the few serums he was able to acquire? What was the point of Chris being there? Would he ever really see Jill or Sheva again? What was changing about Wesker?

Chris's musings went on and on. Hour after hour passed and he still found himself left with only possibilities- nothing sounded reasonable enough to be true. After he'd lost count of the hours and it was well after dark, Chris found himself restless. He slid from the bed that he had been planted to and began out the door and into the bright, reflective hallway. Looking left then right, Chris shrugged and went directly across, shutting the bedroom door behind him before continuing through the automatic laboratory door.

The room inside almost blinded Chris, it was so bright. Rows of secured tables were lined with test tubes, some being fired, some boiling on their own. There were scientific equipment laid out in front of some of the test tubes, in front of countless stools that were all unoccupied except for one. The walls were mostly lined with cabinets besides the back wall which was a large window that was mostly darkened but Chris assumed Wesker was keeping something useful to his research within it.

"Do you require something, Chris?" Wesker asked, not bothering to look up from the test tube that he was concentrating on.

"I just have a few more questions," Chris muttered, his gaze looking over the room in surprise.

"I'm rather occupied at the moment-"

"I know," Chris said, stepping forward.

Wesker didn't speak while Chris maneuvered his way to the stool beside Wesker's. The blond didn't look up as Chris slid onto the stool, his gaze on the instruments in front of the two. His eyes slowly carried to Wesker who sighed, set down the test tube and side glanced at Chris.

"Alright," Wesker sighed, his body turning to face Chris.

Chris waited a long moment and when he was sure Wesker wasn't going to speak again, he let out a quiet sigh and began questioning again.

"How long was I unconscious for?" Chris asked, his voice unsteady and quiet.

"Long enough for me to go to the last location, retrieve the last package, and arrive here. Two days is my estimate," Wesker replied calmly turning back to continue working.

"How long do you have to work everything out?"

"You'll have to be less vague for an accurate answer, Chris," Wesker muttered as he held up a small slide and examined it in the light.

"I'm guessing the injections that you take that are suppose to repair the virus are doing their job but the problem is, it increases the mutation process. For the serum to break down the virus, it has to be given during a specific time and with a specific amount-"

"When I said 'less vague' I didn't exactly mean your entire thought process," Wesker said, glancing at Chris indiscreetly.

"Anyways, that should mean that you aren't looking for a way to restore the virus. You're looking for a way to perfect the dosage, right?"

"Why is knowing this important to you, Christopher?" Wesker asked threateningly, setting down the slide that he was tipping back and forth between his forefinger and thumb.

"I just want to make sure I have it right, that's it, really," Chris muttered.

Wesker exhaled and shook his head.

"You continue attempts at understanding something that is simply beyond you."

"Try me, Wesker. Explain it to me," Chris replied sternly.

"Why waste my breath and precious time?"

"Maybe I could assist you so you weren't doing this alone," Chris suggested, looking around the empty room.

Wesker outright laughed.

"Are you asking anything in return?"

Chris blinked a few times and shook his head.

"Alright, let me simply summarize the past week and a half, Chris, because I do believe you need recollection of the past events. You became my prisoner which turned into a sort of joke once I ceased binding you. Then, you decide it best to help me on my quest to find all of the serums needed and now, after having almost full recollection of your memories, you want to assist me in making the one serum that could possibly save everything about me that you despise? Do you expect me to trust you when you ask nothing in return?"

Chris inhaled slowly before giving a small nod of his head.

"Well, you're sorely mistaken," Wesker chuckled as Chris let out a huff.

"I have my reasons," Chris muttered his gaze falling to the tiled metallic flooring.

"I'm sure you do."

"Do you even have the materials to make more of PG67A/W?"

"No, Chris, I don't. What I've collected is what I'm in possession of," Wesker twisted back around and began examining the test tubes again, swirling them a few times before replacing them on the fire.

"How long will you be able to live off of the few you have?"

"Approximately a month."

"A month? Wesker, what's the point of trying to repair it if you won't be able to hold it off?"

"Are you finished asking your questions or are you going to continue with your nonsense?" Wesker asked harshly, looking at Chris expectantly.

"I sure as hell hope you know what you're doing, for the sake of both of us, Wesker," Chris muttered before standing up and beginning towards the door.

"Do you not expect me to have a backup plan? I would assume you would have more faith in me," Wesker spoke from whatever he was working on.

Chris stopped and spun around, letting a loud scoff that somehow turned into a sarcastically dry laugh escape his lips.

"I don't know where you get your ideas from, Wesker. Assuming I would have any faith in you at all would be-"

"Unfortunately, Chris, as I am the only one to protect you and have proved to be more than capable of doing so, you have put quite a bit faith in me. Perhaps that's why you're reaching out to me in such a strange way or, perhaps, it's that damn self righteousness- always having to be the hero."

Silence overtook the two and Chris wasn't sure if he wanted to pick up a chair and throw it at the man or rush over and force Wesker to let him help. He hadn't bothered really questioning why he wanted to help, he just assumed the faster he got Wesker's 'plan' over and done with, the better; or perhaps he had some master plan hidden in his sleeve where he would try to poison Wesker- Chris sincerely didn't know. Unfortunately, what the blond had said held truth to it and that was the reason he decided to leave without another word.

Once the automatic door closed behind him, Chris found himself leaning against the opposite wall of the hallway, his palms face down against the cool metal. His head fell back against it and he sighed, closing his eyes- There had to have been something he could do, right? He'd thought about it long enough, he thought he was right.

So what was wrong with the second dosage? Wesker didn't start losing his powers until he began the second serum which made Chris assume the dosage was too strong and clashing with the PG67A/W.

The sound of the automatic door opening caused Chris to jump slightly. Wesker appeared in the doorway, his black attire standing out against the bright reflective materials around him. He leaned against the doorway, his arms crossing and his lips tightening as he let out a quiet sigh.

"You're inputting excessive amounts of thought into this, Christopher," Wesker stated, gazing at him from behind his shades.

"Well, when all you have to do is think, you tend to do a lot of it," Chris muttered, pushing himself off the wall but keeping in his position.

"I see."

The two stood still and quiet, their strong gazes locking. Chris had his normal defenses up- being around Wesker seemed to force that upon people. He was ready, at any time, to block an attack or have a quick comeback, even if he was destined to lose whatever type of battle Wesker would begin, he would at least be ready to try.

"I don't want to die," Chris muttered, eyeing Wesker who, in turn, began chuckling.

"Chris, I don't believe-"

"I mean, now. I don't want to die because you fail at perfecting this serum. Like you said, you're the one protecting me and you know where we are- I'm in a bad position as it is but it would be much worse if you decided to mutate," Chris explained, his gaze now falling to the floor.

"You are far from a scientist, Chris. How do you assume that you could be any form of help to me at all?"

"I'm not asking to make the damn serum. I'm just asking to understand the situation and if that involves going into a detailed explanation that you don't think I'll understand, then do it. Just like I've put faith in you, you've put faith in me," Chris snapped, his right hand pointing from Wesker to himself.

"Oh, is that so?" Wesker chuckled, tilting his head the opposite direction.

"You've put faith in me not to run, to help you find your damn serums, to play along with all of your mind games, and to steadily remember each direct thing that you wanted me to remember at the right times. Face it Wesker, I'm only here for your twisted entertainment. You throw me in a room, leave for hours to go do what you need to do, then when you're done you decide to come back and play more games. You do this over and over until I break down and then what, Wesker? I've already been down that road once. Are you going to kill me if I do it again? If I become so full of helplessness that I just give up and-"

It all happened in a flash and Chris, within moments, was being pushed against the wall. Wesker had sprung forward while Chris was caught up in his rant and taken the man off-guard. Chris's back stung harshly as Wesker held him securely; Wesker's right forearm was pressed against Chris's throat, preventing him from moving and slightly choking him while his left had secured both of Chris's wrists and had them pinned together somewhere against Chris's stomach successfully.

"Wesker, get- get the fuck off of me," Chris choked, coughing in mid-sentence.

Chris and Wesker were face to face now, Chris being so close to Wesker that he could see the catlike eyes behind his typical sunglasses and he absolutely hated it. Wesker eased his forearm against Chris's neck, allowing the brunet to breathe and speak without difficulty.

"You, Chris, are wrong. You have a tendency to be wrong more often than naught so do not assume you are always correct with your ridiculous little ramblings. Furthermore, and listen closely Chris because I will not repeat this again, you are indeed my entertainment but do not assume I would protect you whilst you are vulnerable and allow you to assist me just to simply kill you because you've ceased to entertain me. I can't find it in me to care if you decide to give up on hope or whatever the hell has kept you moving for these past few weeks because, Chris, I will continue to play with you even as you give up on everything around you. Lastly, I put faith in no one-"

"That's a lie," Chris spat, his arms trying to tug apart as Wesker spoke.

"And how, exactly, is it a lie, Christopher?" Wesker hissed, tightening his grip around Chris's wrists enough to make the brunet wince.

"Don't tell me you never held any faith in me while in S.T.A.R.S. because that would be an outright lie. I can name a handful of times that we've had to depend on each other and don't deny it, Wesker, some of that carried onto now because if you had taken anyone else as your prisoner, they would have been unconscious and handcuffed the entire time," Chris fought back, his eyes squinting in anger as Wesker remained quiet.

Yet again, Chris was taken off-guard by a maneuver of Wesker's. The blond had tilted his right forearm so now it was pressing into Chris's chest while his fingers were tight on his jaw line, holding his head in place while his dry lips crashed roughly against Chris's, successfully pushing the two into a messy kiss.

Chris's initial response was to push the man away but, in his position, he was unable to. Before he was even given the chance to fight Wesker's insane advances, something in his mind clicked and he found himself practically holding himself back from responding to the kiss. Chris had to pull himself out of the mind state that told him that this was the same man that was his ex-captain because it was a lie, he would have, most likely, welcomed an advance like this from Captain Albert Wesker- but this wasn't Captain Albert Wesker.

This was just Wesker.

Chris opened his mouth and snapped onto Wesker's top lip, biting hard enough to draw blood, thus causing the man to pull away sharply. Wesker lifted a hand to touch the dripping blood, releasing Chris's wrists long enough for Chris to take advantage and force the man away while internally realizing that if Wesker hadn't been so distracted, Chris wouldn't have been able to overpower him so easily. Chris panted heavily, his lips tingling from the contact and his head simply buzzing.

"W-What… Just… What the fuck?" Chris yelled, taking a sharp left and putting a hand on the doorknob to the bedroom but he stopped and looked over his shoulder at the blond who stood calm and relaxed as if nothing had possibly happened. "I told you- I told you, Wesker, to stop acting like you're still my fucking captain! F-Fuck!" Chris yelled loudly before pushing the bedroom door open and slamming it closed, his back going against the opposite side of the door now that he was enclosed in darkness.

There were too many emotions running through him and, just for that moment, he was happy that it was pitch dark in the room. The only source of sunlight was blocked out by Chris's limp body against the crack of the door and again, he found himself grateful. Chris slid down into a sitting position so that he was now covering the light from the bottom crack as well and he sighed shakily into the darkness.

The ex S.T.A.R.S. part of Chris seemed to be sitting in the pit of his stomach, fluttering about madly while the B.S.A.A. part of Chris had the urge to cry. Chris had been through too much as of late- forcing off all negative thoughts about his partners while dealing with Wesker's mind games and somehow balancing his lack of memory on top of it all. Now he was going to deal with a game that Chris just couldn't see himself overcoming.

There Chris sat, in the dark, for hours upon hours. His well needed tears never came, not that they ever really did, and to his surprise, it had been the first time since he'd originally woken up as a captive that he didn't get lost in thought. In fact, the last thought he even remembered thinking was all of how Wesker had to be playing one huge mind-game that he just wasn't going to play. Beyond that, he just stared into the darkness in a distant state of mind that somehow made him lose track of time.

Dawn hitting the window pulled Chris from his entrancement and he looked tiredly towards the intrusion of light. His lips were still tingling and his stomach was still churning- but the anger had seeped away. Unfortunately, Chris was unsure what he was left with when the anger was gone. Forcing himself up, Chris found himself moving towards the bed with distant hopes of getting a bit of rest.

Those hopes died quickly as a loud yell erupted and echoed through the facility. It was the same type of yell that haunted Chris from his recent memories and it only took a split second for the brunet to rush out of the bedroom. He slipped past the automatic door and immediately saw Wesker, on his knees, bent over on the floor. His arms were shakily supporting him and Chris thought maybe Wesker was able to inject himself just before he arrived until another yell accompanied by a crack in Wesker's voice, completely identical to the one he remembered- It made Chris shiver.

"T-The serums?" Chris shouted, looking around the room hastily.

Wesker pointed behind him towards the cupboard and Chris saw the briefcase sitting atop the counter. He rushed towards it while Wesker tried pulling himself together, succeeding in only falling face down. By the time Chris had rummaged through the briefcase and found one of the syringes that read PG67A/W, Wesker was attempting to get up again. He was supporting himself on his forearm while his right arm was attempting to push himself upwards. Chris rushed over to him as Wesker dropped back down against the floor. Wesker's body began to spasm and Chris didn't bother to think as he jumped into action. He forcefully turned Wesker onto his back before throwing his left leg over to straddle Wesker's body. Chris sat on his knees so that he was sitting on Wesker's stomach to keep the man still as Wesker's body jolted out of control. Using one hand to keep Wesker's head to the side, Chris stuck the syringe into the side of his neck, injecting PG67A/W quickly.

Chris pulled the syringe from Wesker's neck and tossed it across the room, panting as the adrenaline still coursed through him. He remained on top of Wesker while he watched the man immediately cease the spasm that Chris knew wasn't a seizure (he automatically assumed it had something to do with the virus but wasn't exactly focusing on the thought).

Chris waited in silence, watching Wesker's head, limp against his shoulder, his glasses ever so slightly askew but still covering his closed eyes. Chris hadn't known it when Wesker began to stir, but he had been physically holding his breath and exhaled deeply when he saw Wesker's eyes open. Wesker's immediate reaction to the situation seemed to surprise Chris and the first thing he saw was Wesker readjusting his glasses to hide his eyes.

"Wait-" Chris muttered.

"Chris, would you-"

"Hold on," Chris whispered as he bent forward.

Wesker remained silent, his jaw clenched, as he watched Chris intently who was hovering just above his face. Chris placed his forefinger and thumb on the hinge of Wesker's sunglasses and slowly removed them from covering his eyes, revealing dark green human eyes. Chris felt the side of his mouth twitch as he looked into Wesker's eyes, intent on recapturing them into his memory. Slowly, and without really thinking about it, Chris had set Wesker's glasses beside the blonde's head and had put his now free right hand onto Wesker's cheek, holding their gaze.

Wesker made no real facial expression as Chris lowered his lips until they were touching Wesker's but as soon as they met, Wesker kissed back.

Maybe Wesker still had the S.T.A.R.S. Captain in him somewhere- That's what Chris hoped, anyway.


	8. Denial

The kiss never went deeper than their lips touching but it was enough for Chris to pull away. He didn't straighten or remove himself from Wesker when he pulled away- just sat there, hunched over and still inches from his face. His eyes were completely glued to the green eyes that stared back into his brown and a deep feeling of warmth spread throughout his body.

The same type of warmth that he felt during S.T.A.R.S.

"Chris, I believe it would be in your best interest to-"

"R-Right-" Chris straightened before standing and stepping over Wesker so that he could stand up as well.

Chris, quickly, began for the door, his fingertips ghosting over his lips where he still tasted Wesker's lips upon them. He didn't want to think about what just happened, or why, so he didn't. He focused on anything but the situation and he soon found himself interested in his feet while he walked up to the doorway, awaiting the automatic door to open.

"I'm rather surprised," Chris cursed under his breath and spun on his heel to look at the blond who just spoke.

Wesker stood beside his fallen stool, his hair slightly disarray and a smirk peeling across his lips. Chris stood half across the room from him and both stared at each other expectedly. Chris began actively pondering whether or not he should turn and leave or take Wesker's bait. Chris eyed the sunglasses that Wesker was clutching in his right hand before sighing and speaking.

"At what?"

"I highly expected you to ask questions, Chris. I'm a bit disappointed," The smirk remained lit while the man spoke and Chris found himself growing tired as the adrenaline of the situation faded away.

"Disappointment usually comes with assumptions, Wesker," Chris stopped and watched, rather intently, Wesker slide his sunglasses back onto his nose before continuing, "I'm tired, that's all that was and I don't care what started your attack."

"Of course you do. If you didn't, you wouldn't have saved me, Chris," Chris felt his heart sink deep into his stomach- he just wanted to go to bed. He wanted a simple solution to everything and he didn't want complications.

"I saved you because if I didn't, I would have died," Chris snapped before averting his eyes from Wesker as the man slid a hand through his hair and tidied it with ease.

"And perhaps you can explain your little show after as well? Claiming lack of sleep provoked the action simply won't prevail as an acceptable excuse."

"Believe what you want, I'm going to bed," Chris mumbled before turning on his heel, stumbling tiredly off to the side before regaining balance and stepping towards the door. The automatic door opened with a quiet sliding sound and Chris stepped through it, walking across the hall, and into the room that he felt comfortable calling 'his'.

Chris was far past being tired. He was in a stage of tired where he wondered if he would even remember what had happened. Pondering the thought, Chris climbed into bed and just as his mind began wandering to his actions, he fell asleep.

When Chris awoke, there was a split second of calm disorientation. He sat up and looked around the room before realization hit. Chris inhaled sharply, his mouth dropping ever so slightly as he pushed through his hazy thoughts to remember exactly what had happened. Wesker's screams stood out to him along with his eyes and the feeling of their lips touching. Chris's panic stricken mind worsened slowly as he pieced every broken memory he had of the morning and the night previous. Once everything was together and it made sense, the disorienting haze had gone and he was wide awake.

Sliding off the bed, Chris left the room in a hurry, throwing open the door hard enough for it to bounce off the wall and close behind him as he rushed across the hall. He stopped in front of the automatic door but once it opened, he saw Wesker sitting in the chair he was before. His left elbow was leaning on the table in front of him while his head was propped on top of his fist. Once Chris quietly got closer, he saw Wesker's right arm resting on his thigh, palm down and relaxed. Wesker wasn't breathing heavily or snoring, but Chris saw that he was asleep and he felt the panic, and hidden anger, drain immediately.

Chris's gaze fell on the project in front of Wesker and he quietly sighed. Everything was sprawled out in front of him, nothing was lit or knocked over but it still looked messy and complicated. Chris saw that Wesker's elbow was leaning on a notebook that had scribbles of different formulas, some crossed out, others circled. Chris looked down and realized the area around Wesker was filled with crumpled pieces of paper.

Chris sat down in the stool to Wesker's right and he found himself staring at Wesker's sleeping form. Chris hadn't even known Wesker slept and now, there Wesker sat- silent and peaceful. Once the thought that Wesker deserved a rest crossed Chris's mind, Chris had to hold back a laugh.

Since when, exactly, did Albert Wesker deserve anything?

Since Wesker started showing human qualities.

Chris froze at the thought. Wesker wasn't showing human qualities. His eyes reverting back to normal didn't mean Wesker was suddenly human.

Chris's thoughts felt scattered, completely illogical, and inappropriate but he just couldn't fight the want to help the man. Maybe it was all the pain in Wesker's screams earlier that day or maybe it was the look that was fixed in Chris's mind- the green eyes that looked at him the way they use to look at him back in S.T.A.R.S.

Knowingly, Chris was hanging onto memories that he thought were long gone. S.T.A.R.S. was a haunting nightmare that stalked him for years. He seemingly compared everything to the good times he had in S.T.A.R.S.- the lack of partnership in the B.S.A.A, the lack of care for their teams, and the lack of skill everyone seemed to possess. Nothing in the B.S.A.A. seemed up to his liking and it worsened when he compared it to S.T.A.R.S. Even when Jill was his partner in the B.S.A.A, it wasn't the same. Nothing was the same.

Wesker's movements pulled Chris from his thoughts and he immediately stiffened as Wesker sat up and looked directly at Chris. The two stared at each other a moment, Wesker's blond eyebrows arched and Chris realized he was going to have to explain his actions.

"I didn't know that you sleep," Chris muttered distractingly, his eyes shifting to the empty space in front of him.

"Yes well, that has become quite a downside to the recent injections. Prior to this, sleep was only required periodically. However, I don't believe you're in here to talk about my slumber patterns," Wesker spoke, still facing Chris who was now looking down and playing with his hands.

"So what am I in here for, then?" Chris asked, glancing up at him, daringly. The panic was quickly returning.

"Answers, I'm assuming," Wesker said simply, looking back at Chris.

"Will I get them?"

"Perhaps if you inquire, you'll get what you wish," Wesker suggested, his left hand moving while he spoke before returning to its position resting on the table.

"What happened this morning?" Chris muttered after a long silence of him debating on whether or not to take the chance.

"I underestimated my body and didn't realize I was reverting so rapidly. I fell asleep and-"

"You missed your injection. Yeah, I got that part," Chris muttered. "So what about the rest? And last night?"

"I don't hold the answers to your actions, Chris," Wesker said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, well, neither do I," Chris responded with a sigh, leaning against the table, his right hand cupping his chin while his elbow supported him.

"Of course you do," Wesker said, the familiar smirk returning to his lips.

Chris looked at Wesker through narrowed eyes, anger bubbling under his surface. Wesker knew nothing of what was going through Chris's head and he was acting like Chris was hiding something- as if he had a real reason to. At this point, he wanted to just forget the whole thing but the casualty of the conversation was frightening him. Why wasn't Wesker freaking out- Chris stopped the thought. He couldn't imagine Wesker 'freaking out' and the mere thought was rather amusing.

"Alright. So why did you do it last night?" Chris was intent on not saying what 'it' was. As far as he was concerned, 'it' could be anything as long as he doesn't say what 'it' actually was.

"What did I do, Chris?" Wesker asked, tilting his head slightly towards Chris, the smirk lingering dangerously.

"I knew it. It was just one big fucking game, wasn't it? You got bored and decided you could entertain yourself by putting me through an emotional-"

"Just stop talking, Chris," Wesker spoke dully. "You enjoy over thinking everything, don't you?" The blond asked, a hint of humor behind his words.

"What are you talking about?" Chris asked, pulling away from his palm. Instead, he hunched over, both forearms resting on his thighs while he intentionally avoided eye contact again.

"Perhaps when you've stopped over contemplating every little action I do, you will see why I did it. You might even take it a step farther and call it what it was, Chris," Wesker leaned over slightly so that, when Chris looked up, they were face to face. "It was a kiss. The sooner you acknowledge this, the sooner you just might understand that not everything has a deeper meaning."

Chris stared at Wesker, both of them lingering silently before Wesker sat back and straightened. Chris sat up slightly, one arm still comfortable on his thigh while the other ran through his hair. He really was lost for words and Wesker was expecting a response. Maybe Wesker was right. Maybe.

"So then, why did you do it?"

"If you don't recall our conversation, perhaps it's best not to-"

"Was it really that spontaneous?" Chris asked doubtfully.

"Chris, you're over thinking this entire-"

"No, I'm not. How else am I supposed to think about it?"

"Don't, Chris. Perhaps try considering where your actions came from before questioning mine. Perhaps now you will leave me to finish my work," Wesker spoke the latter sentence rather dangerously and Chris took it as a sign that he should leave and gladly accepted it.

Standing, Chris began maneuvering back to the entrance, silence overtaking him. He wanted to say something, he didn't want to leave without a direct answer but if he couldn't even figure it out himself, how did he expect Wesker to know?

Because Wesker knew everything- that was how Chris looked at it.

Wesker seemed to have a better insight to everything, especially when it came to Chris. Wesker knew what Chris was thinking just by looking at the expressions on his face. Wesker could sort out thoughts that Chris didn't even know he had and somehow, Wesker was always right. That was harder for Chris to accept than anything- Wesker always being right.

That is why when the automatic door in front of the brunet opened, he didn't go through it. Instead, he turned on his heel, crossed his arms, and looked at Wesker who had turned back to whatever he was working on when he fell asleep. When Wesker didn't hear the door close, he audibly sighed and stopped working.

"What is it, Chris?" He asked, not bothering to turn and face Chris.

"You know why I did it, don't you?"

Chris still wasn't going to say what it was.

"Of course I do," Chris could hear the humor in Wesker's voice again and realized the amount of entertainment Wesker seemed to get from the whole situation.

"And you won't tell me-" Chris trailed off purposely and Wesker obliged to answer.

"Simply because you aren't ready to understand the reasoning behind the situation. Actually, it's rather similar to the reason why I've yet to reveal why you're here. If you're so keen on over thinking everything, Christopher, perhaps you can take that into consideration."

"Maybe I will," Chris muttered, glancing at Wesker again before turning on his heel.

Yet again, he stopped.

"You know, you really should try and take a break from all this research," Chris suggested, his arms uncrossing and hanging comfortably at his sides.

"Time is of the essence. I will not tolerate a delay simply because my body is reverting back to that of a useless shell," Wesker spoke sternly, returning to the work in front of him.

"It was just a suggestion, Wesker. Think about it. And that backup plan of yours-"

"I'm prepared to do whatever is necessary if the situation arises when I must- that is all I'm revealing until that time approaches."

"Good," Chris continued through the doorway but stopped when Wesker called his name. Backtracking several steps, he leaned into the room and asked, "What?"

"If you require food, the kitchen is a few doors down the hall to the right."

Chris stood in the doorway for a long moment as he processed that he might actually be hungry.

"Okay, I think I'll do that. Thanks, I guess," Chris muttered and was slightly surprised to hear an audible grunt of acknowledgement.

Chris turned on his heel and began down the hall, food now on the mind. He passed several doors before he saw a room on the left, the door labeled kitchen. It, like the laboratory door, was automatic and once Chris entered the room, he found himself comparing the room to the lab as well.

The entire room was just as bright as the facility (or what he had seen of it) and, much like the laboratory, was lined with cabinets. The only difference was the multiple stoves, the white table in the center surrounded by chairs, and the large refrigerator in the corner beside a pantry. Everything was sparkling white, nothing looked used and it caused a slight regretful feeling somewhere in Chris when he knew he would be messing up the clean kitchen.

Chris chose something relatively simple, a box of macaroni and cheese that he found sitting in the pantry. Setting the skinny blue box onto the counter beside the stove, Chris began going through the cupboards, searching for some sort of pot. Eventually, he opened the shining white oven and found a small, deep pot piled onto a cookie sheet. He pulled out the brand new pot, filled it with water from the sink, and placed it onto the stove where he turned the knob to high and waited for it to boil.

For a long time, Chris just stared at the rumbling water in the pot. Many thoughts ran through his mind but he decided it was best not to grab onto any of them. It was nothing. It only happened because Chris was tired and his buried feelings for his old Captain returned in a moment of weakness. There was no reason to think about something that could easily be forgotten about- that was something Chris had decided long before and that's how he was going to keep to it.

There was no reason to think about it any longer.

Once the water began bubbling, Chris opened the cardboard box and pulled out the small packet of powdered cheese before dumping the uncooked macaroni into the pot. While the macaroni sat, Chris walked over to the fridge and opened it again, peering inside to find milk and half a stick of butter waiting for him.

He grabbed both, wondering who had been keeping the kitchen stocked with foods that expired rather quickly, and returned to the pot. Setting the carton of milk and butter off to the side, he turned off the stove and picked up the pot by the handle. Chris held the pot out in front of him as he slowly made his way to the sink before pouring the excess water out, careful not to let any of the macaroni escape.

Once Chris was sure he couldn't get anymore of the water out without dumping the macaroni as well, he set the pot back onto the stove and began adding the milk and butter. Quickly he returned the remainder of the contents to the fridge before searching through a number of drawers and finally settling on a large serving spoon to mix the macaroni. Grabbing the cheese packet off of the counter, Chris slowly poured the powder into the pot while mixing with the large spoon and before long, it turned into the macaroni and cheese Chris use to make almost constantly in America.

Not bothering to get a bowl, Chris grabbed the handle to the pot and brought it over to the kitchen table, setting it down in front of one of the seats before sitting down himself. Using the large spoon, he scooped an average proportion into his mouth but while chewing, he felt himself stop and realization hit.

Chris dropped the spoon back into the pot and forcefully swallowed his mouthful of food.

It was as if someone had taken all of his emotions away for a while and then threw them back at him along with every worry and problem in the world. His appetite drained almost immediately and he began physically feeling ill. Nausea churned in his stomach and Chris was sure his face had turned white.

Chris had done it. The very it that he swore he would never do. The very it that he yelled at Wesker for doing. It never should have happened. Chris hadn't done it to S.T.A.R.S. Captain Albert Wesker. Chris had done it to Albert Wesker, self proclaimed God.

Albert Wesker had kissed Chris Redfield.

Chris Redfield then kissed Albert Wesker.

Chris became sincerely lost for words as his mind drained of all thoughts. His partners, his memories, what was to come within a month- the only thing that remained were the two kisses they had shared and the feelings that he had completely ignored until now.

The first kiss left him feeling empty, similarly to how he felt now but the second was far different. Chris's stomach fluttered and danced but it was a lie. Everything was a lie when it came to Albert Wesker. Even Chris's memories of his Captain were a lie. Wesker was always working with Umbrella and always had the intention to betray them. Nothing would change that.

However, this didn't change his feelings for his Captain- they still depended on each other at some point and Chris still had a tinge of trust left in him somewhere for the man, something he wished didn't exist.

The thought of kissing a man wasn't much of problem for Chris, sexuality wasn't important and he didn't care much for a label in his situation. The thought of kissing Wesker, however, was much more confusing. Wesker was Wesker and Chris was Chris…

So why did Chris still feel the tingling on his lips? The fluttering in his stomach? The distant giddiness that lay past the worried thoughts? Why did Chris long so much for his old Captain when he knew it was a lie? Why did he long for an illusion?

Why was Chris so attracted to Albert Wesker?


	9. Advice

Chris completely lost track of time.

The brunet had pushed away the pot of pasta some hours before and now had his forehead leaning helplessly on the table. His arms were limp at his sides and, by this point, his mind was blank. The smell of old macaroni and cheese was lingering in the air and there was little he could do to prevent himself from vomiting. In fact, all he seemed to muster was pushing it farther away, to the opposite edge of the table before dropping his arm back at his side.

Chris couldn't seem to find the energy to stand up and take care of the dried macaroni let alone walk all the way back to his room. He felt emotionally drained as he tried to sift through the pile of useless thoughts accumulating in his brain but nothing was coming from it- he'd been thinking too long and far too much. Tipping his head to the side, Chris let his left flushed cheek lay against the cool table soothingly and couldn't find himself to switch sides when he heard the automatic door to his left open.

"Christopher-"

Chris could hear the mild shock in his voice but refused to look at the blond- he simply couldn't.

"Finally taking my suggestion for a break, Wesker?"

Chris heard footsteps and the automatic door closed. Chris could distantly hear the careful openings and closings of each individual cupboard.

"I'm simply here for nourishment as I've come to find my energy draining," Wesker muttered from somewhere behind Chris. "I assume you've been here for quite some time."

"It's hard being human, isn't it?" Chris asked, disregarding the latter statement by the blond.

"I am not human, Christopher. It's merely a simple complication that I must endure whilst I progress further into my research," Wesker retorted.

Chris could mildly feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand and knew Wesker's eyes were on him, making him grow rather uncomfortable as he had just spent hours upon hours contemplating Wesker himself to no avail whatsoever.

"Right, but it's hard, isn't it?" Chris asked again, physically shivering until the feeling vanished.

"It's not as if I haven't been human before, Chris-"

"You aren't answering my question," Chris muttered, his voice replicating his exhaustion.

"I'm well aware," Wesker spoke as Chris heard the fridge open.

Chris sighed exasperatedly and he, reluctantly, moved his arms up. His elbows and upper arms sat on either side of his head while his fingers intertwined and cupped the back of his neck. Chris wasn't sure how or why but it made him feel much more comfortable as if it had just put some hidden barrier between Wesker and himself.

It became increasingly difficult for Chris to avoid pondering Wesker related thoughts whilst the man was lingering in the room. His thoughts somehow spilled back into the thoughts of the night before and their conversation prior to the kiss.

_"I don't know where you get your ideas from, Wesker. Assuming I would have any faith in you at all would be-"_

_"Unfortunately, Chris, as I am the only one to protect you and have proved to be more than capable of doing so, you have put quite a bit faith in me. Perhaps that's why you're reaching out to me in such a strange way or, perhaps, it's that damn self righteousness- always having to be the hero."_

Wesker was right, after all. Chris had put far more faith in him than he ever would have expected and this troubled him. Wesker was the enemy. It was Wesker's fault that Uroboros happened along with most of the viral outbreaks. Wesker had been the result of countless deaths- and yet somehow Chris saw a human side to him while also depending on him.

_"I'm not asking to make the damn serum. I'm just asking to understand the situation and if that involves going into a detailed explanation that you don't think I'll understand, then do it. Just like I've put faith in you, you've put faith in me," Chris snapped, his right hand pointing from Wesker to himself._

_"Oh, is that so?" Wesker chuckled, tilting his head in the opposite direction._

_"You've put faith in me not to run, to help you find your damn serums, to play along with all of your mind games, and to steadily remember each direct thing that you wanted me to remember at the right times. Face it Wesker, I'm only here for your twisted entertainment. You throw me in a room, leave for hours to go do what you need to do, then when you're done you decide to come back and play more games. You do this over and over until I break down and then what, Wesker? I've already been down that road once. Are you going to kill me if I do it again? If I become so full of helplessness that I just give up and-"_

Chris still believed this and it was the only thought that seemed to make sense in his twisted mindset- the thought that it was all a game and the moment Wesker grew bored would be Chris's downfall. It was, simply, how Wesker was. Wesker was a sadistic son of a bitch who played countless games for his own pleasure because nothing seemed to entertain him- and yet somehow Chris was attracted to his sadistic tendencies.

" _You, Chris, are wrong. You have a tendency to be wrong more often than naught so do not assume you are always correct with your ridiculous little ramblings. Furthermore, and listen closely Chris because I will not repeat this again, you are indeed my entertainment but do not assume I would protect you whilst you were vulnerable and allow you to assist me just to simply kill you because you've ceased to entertain me. I can't find it in me to care if you decide to give up on hope or whatever the hell has kept you moving for these past few weeks because, Chris, I will continue to play with you even as you give up on everything around you. Lastly, I put faith in no one-"_

It had been a lie but only the latter part. Chris had allowed the man to speak because, yet again, the blond was right and as he'd established beforehand, Wesker was always right. There would be little point in saving Chris only to kill him. Chris believed Wesker wasn't lying through most of it and the thought somehow soothed the brunet feeling as if he wasn't as expendable as he'd assumed a week prior. Even through it all, Wesker was clear that Chris was indeed there for his entertainment- and Chris found himself highly invigorated by the idea.

_"Don't tell me you never held any faith in me while in S.T.A.R.S. because that would be an outright lie. I can name a handful of times that we've had to depend on each other and don't deny it, Wesker, some of that carried onto now because if you had taken anyone else as your prisoner, they would have been unconscious and handcuffed the entire time," Chris fought back, his eyes squinting in anger as Wesker remained quiet._

In reality, Chris was sure he could name far more than a handful. In S.T.A.R.S., Chris always seemed to be Wesker's backup and Wesker never once complained or requested anyone different. Granted, he was a sharp-shooter but the large amount of times that Bravo also accompanied Alpha on missions never changed the line-up, even if Forest could have supplied better backup than Chris could have. Added to the thought, if Wesker _had_ taken Sheva or Jill, they would have been tied and unconscious, just as he said where as he was practically being treated as a guest getting will to move around and do mostly what he wanted- Chris didn't feel like a prisoner as he had when he first awoke in Wesker's clutches. Now, the brunet felt like a complicated friend- another feeling he could relate back to S.T.A.R.S.

"As I said, I assume you've been here for quite some time," Wesker's voice rang through the empty room and Chris felt himself physically jump.

"I have- Not sure how long," Chris muttered, his neck beginning to strain enough to cause him to roll his head slighting, allowing his warm right cheek to rest against the table and the view of the automatic door to come into his sights.

"Nearly six hours, I believe," Wesker muttered and Chris could practically hear the sliding leather material as the man pocketed the device he silently pulled from his pocket to check the time.

"Not really surprised," came another mutter from Chris and a sigh escaped his lips soon after.

"I also assume you've somehow accepted what has happened and now find yourself unable to fully comprehend the idea nor can you find a sense of comfort whilst your thoughts begin-"

"I get it. You know what's running through my head, thank you Wesker for pointing it out to me as if I haven't been mulling it over the past six hours," Chris snapped tiredly, his fingers releasing each other so that his arms fell in front of him.

"I doubt 'mulling' is the correct word to use, Chris. Perhaps, 'brooding' would be adequate?" Wesker suggested as Chris began hearing quiet shuffling through various cupboards.

"Wesker-" Chris grumbled, digging his face into his left arm.

"You've yet to listen to a word I have said regarding the issue and thus, you continue to suffer. Perhaps it's time, Chris, to stop and think why you find yourself so keen to _over think_ absolutely every detail in the situation. Furthermore, you could possibly recall what we spoke about this morning- you just might find that this complicated situation isn't as complicated as you seem to view it in your head," Wesker suggested before closing the cupboard he was looking through and turning on his heel to begin towards the door.

"Aren't you going to get anything to eat?" Chris asked, his eyes peeking over his arm to watch Wesker stop in front of the now open door.

Wesker turned and looked at Chris from behind his sunglasses before speaking;

"Actually, Chris, I was simply taking a break- as you suggested. I assumed you would have come to some revelation about the whole ordeal and I, unfortunately, presumed you would be doing exactly as you're doing now."

"So you _somehow_ knew I would come to terms with what happened and immediately shut down?" Chris asked through a mumble.

"Indeed, I did. I know you far better than you believe, Chris," Wesker stated clearly before leaving the room.

The automatic door closed and Chris, for the first time in hours, sat up. His eyes fell on the pot across the table from him and, with a sigh, he leaned back.

Wesker was, yet again, right.

So what did he want Chris to remember exactly? Chris had been sifting through his memories all day as each played one after another, like an endless taunting cycle. Chris's eyes focused on the reflective surface of the pot before he got up and walked around to it. Chris grasped the cold handle before disposing of it into the sink. Setting the pot into the sink itself, Chris began running the water and it was that simple motion that lead him speeding out of the kitchen after Wesker.

Rounding the corner and entering the lab, Wesker looked over his shoulder to the brunet in the doorway. The two stared at each other for a long moment, Wesker stiff and still while Chris found himself speechless.

"Yes, Christopher?" Wesker asked hesitantly.

"I was wondering if this place had any showers," Chris said slowly, his arms crossing defensively.

"Yes, of course. The bathrooms have a separate shower room and beside that is a locker room- all which can be found near the kitchen. Everything is labeled, you won't have much trouble finding it," Wesker replied, turning back to his project.

When Chris didn't leave, Wesker continued.

"Was there something else?" he asked, impatience and humor diving through his voice.

"No, not really. I just can't seem to figure you out," Chris muttered.

Wesker practically had the brunet wrapped around his finger yet Wesker seemed to surprise Chris at every turn- It was pathetic in Chris's eyes.

"This bothers you?"

"To an extent," Chris replied hesitantly.

"It shouldn't," Wesker's short replies alone were shocking Chris- maybe the blond just wanted Chris to leave? It wouldn't make sense to keep pursuing the conversation though, so if Wesker wanted Chris out of the room, he would state it plainly and Chris knew that.

"Why not?" Chris asked- the man was becoming rather desperate for answers.

"You already have me figured out, and I must say, that is a feat in itself," Wesker assured practically allowing Chris to hear the smirk in his voice.

"How do I have you figured out?" Chris asked, his head tilting to the right in slight confusion.

"I don't believe you require that answer, Christopher."

"I already know it, right?" Chris asked expectantly and somehow also absentmindedly proving Wesker's point.

"Indeed, you do."

Chris sighed heavily and turned on his heel, making a right down the hallway again as his mind swam with returning conflicting thoughts. He continued past the kitchen door, which opened for him anyway, and soon found the door that read bathroom. With no other door beside it, he approached it and it, like the lab and kitchen, opened automatically.

Similar to the kitchen, everything about the bathroom seemed white and new. The stalls, unlike public bathrooms, were a smooth and shiny white color while the white tiled floor glistened with the bright lights that lined the ceiling. The sinks that lined the back wall across from the entrance reflected in the mirrors above them- every separate mirror all showing Chris standing in awestruck. He walked down the rows of stalls until he reached the sinks and to the right was another door that read 'Showers'.

Unlike the previous doors, he had to push this one open but once inside, he wasn't surprised to see that the showers were as clean as the last few rooms he found himself in. The showers were separated into large cubicle stalls, all which had a white and shiny door rather than a cheap curtain. After the long line of showers was a large cupboard that Chris assumed held shower supplies that he happily went towards.

Opening the cupboard, Chris saw three large shelves consisting of a variety of shower items including towels, robes, body washes, shampoos, and razors. Chris, gladly, began taking the needed items- first grabbing a towel, a bottle of shampoo, a bottle of conditioner, and a yet to be unwrapped bar of soap. Closing the cupboard with his free hand, he turned on his heel and picked a shower stall. He slid into it and deposited the items on a small shelf in front of him before hanging the towel over the open door behind him.

Chris backed out of the shower stall and returned to the end of the room where the cupboard sat. He opened the cupboard quickly to grab one of the robes that sat neatly folded beside the tower of towels before closing the cupboard door again and taking a left. Walking beyond the end stall, he was able to find the last door that read 'lockers'. Chris approached the door and extended a hand, opening it as he slid into the door.

The room was brighter than the last two and bigger than the prior rooms combined. Countless rows of lockers were displayed in front of him causing him to wonder how big the facility really was. Long benches lined the glistening silver lockers and the white tiled floor continued in this room as well.

Choosing a nearby locker, Chris opened it with ease and wasn't surprised to find it empty. He began first with removing his socks, his shoes being discarded somewhere in his room as he'd woken up the day before without them. When the remainder of his clothing was placed in the locker, Chris slipped on the long white robe, not bothering to tie it but pulling it around him tight enough for his nude body to be concealed (not that he expected anyone to see him like that).

Chris made his way back into the shower room and, before long, was running the water to the side of him while he tried finding a temperature he was comfortable with. When the fingers that were testing the water began warming, Chris shed the robe, tossing it over the closed door behind him, and began inching under the water.

For a long few moments, Chris was able to enjoy the water spraying over him. It had been the first _real_ shower since he had left America and it was nice to allow the water to wash everything away- even if it was momentarily. Once Chris found it difficult to relax, his mind overpowering him again, he grabbed the small shampoo bottle he had retrieved from the cupboard and poured quite a bit into his palm.

Chris rubbed his palms together slowly, his mind getting lost in the way the liquid was shifting from finger to finger before scrubbing both hands through his hair. He rubbed at his scalp sensually, enjoying the lathering as water continued to beat against his sore back soothingly.

As the water rinsed the suds from his hair, Chris couldn't stop himself from thinking- what would happen if he gave into his desires?

He vaguely recalled, when driving into Africa, asking himself whether it was all worth it. Chris Redfield had been through enough to say that he'd lost too many friends, co-workers, partners. Chris was the clichéd hero that, despite everything, somehow always pulled through- even if that didn't mean the same for anyone who stood behind him.

He hated it.

Chris hated being the hero if it meant people around him getting hurt and this was the perfect example. He came to Africa not looking for Wesker but for Jill. If he hadn't been tipped off, he wouldn't have pushed so hard to get the mission from the B.S.A.A and he wouldn't be in this situation. But what situation, exactly, would he have been in? If Uroboros wasn't stopped then the world would have been catastrophic.

And yet, somehow, here Chris stood without either partner and in the hands of the enemy.

Not just any enemy- but Albert Wesker himself.

Adding to the bad situation was the fact that Chris was helping and even, slightly, _falling_ for the guy.

Chris grabbed the conditioner bottle once he was sure the shampoo had been rinsed from his hair and poured a glob of it into his palm. He, again, rubbed his hands together before scrubbing the conditioner into his hair.

So was it worth fighting anymore? For all he knew, Sheva and Jill assumed both Wesker and himself were death. If that was true, maybe they would just say the mission was complete and go back to the B.S.A.A., completely forgetting about Chris.

Chris would assume that about Sheva but Jill? Would Jill really just let him go so easily?

Chris fought hard to keep searching for her. With no body found, he knew she had to have been alive and didn't stop until his job risked it but he had been right all along. Then, the thought occurred to him- what if Jill did think he was alive? Would she ever find him? Would he already be dead when she did?

There were too many possibilities for Chris to comprehend. He was finding it difficult to separate the different ideas playing in his head of all the different situations that he found himself pondering. What would happen to him if Wesker was able to fix the serum? What would happen to him if Wesker wasn't able to fix it? What as the man planning?

And _what_ was Chris going to do about his feelings and that kiss? _Both_ kisses?

Chris was just lost.

Chris unwrapped the bar of soap, setting the wrapping onto a separate shelf, and began rubbing it over his toned chest. Lathering the soap into his skin made his mind wander, again, to Wesker. What was the blond thinking exactly? Why did he kiss Chris first? What brought that on, exactly? And why did Chris shut down afterwards? Was it shock?

Why the hell were there so many unanswered questions swimming through Chris's mind?

Chris sighed, rather irritably, before moving to scrub the remainder of his body. His thoughts were getting too deep- he needed to listen to Wesker and at the thought, a shiver went up his spine. Chris would need to listen to his enemy for emotional advice? This alone explained how difficult his situation was.

Even after Chris had gotten out of the shower, his thoughts didn't stop. The brunet sat, the towel around his waist, in front of his closed locker. His hair was dripping wet and he could still visibly see watermarks displayed across his body as he hadn't bothered drying himself off whatsoever. Both elbows leaned on their corresponding knee and his palms covered his face.

Wesker said to stop thinking so deeply about it- and that's what he was going to do.

The question was- why did Chris kiss Wesker? Maybe Chris should be questioning Wesker's actions since he did kiss him first, but that would defeat the purpose of listening to Wesker because he also said to not question his actions before Chris questioned his own. Chris's thoughts were certainly getting confusing if they hadn't been before.

So, the questioned remained- why did Chris kiss Wesker?

_Because Wesker kissed me._

The response wasn't what Chris expected nor did he accept the answer. It didn't make sense.

_Why does it have to make sense? I liked the kiss Wesker initiated so why not initiate one myself?_

That… Made a bit more sense logically but sounded nothing like Chris. Chris Redfield, B.S.A.A. agent, would not kiss Albert Wesker.

_No, but Chris Redfield, S.T.A.R.S., member might._

Chris was beginning to really despise this newfound voice. He _wasn't_ Chris Redfield of S.T.A.R.S., anymore. That was too far in his past and something he was sincerely beginning to get sick of. There were good memories and there were bad and, unfortunately, the latter was beginning to take over despite how vividly he remembered the majority of the memories. Chris's B.S.A.A. part wouldn't allow him to push any further into the idea of Chris's attraction to Wesker.

_But is any of the B.S.A.A. around here now, rescuing me? Did they care that Sheva and I were the only two left in the entire squad they sent out? Did they bother trying to send another team? Of course not. Here, I'm not either a S.T.A.R.S or B.S.A.A. member. I'm just Chris Redfield._

Chris couldn't tell if the thought was unsettling to not feel apart of anything. It was similar to the feeling he got when he was disbanded from the U.S. Military and had nothing else to live for. It wasn't until Barry suggested that he try for S.T.A.R.S. that he actually felt like he was worth anything. Feeling apart of something, especially something good, had a profound effect on Chris- and now he sat without that. Though, he couldn't exactly say he got the feeling from being in the B.S.A.A. and he found himself feeling more expendable than he did in S.T.A.R.S.

Maybe because he _was_ expendable.

Chris verbally groaned his palms rubbing against his face vigorously out of frustration. It took quite a bit in him to push himself back into the mindset of looking at things without succumbing to deep thought.

Another question arose- why did Wesker kiss him?

_Because he wanted to. Wesker plays mind games, anything emotional goes too far for him. He wouldn't kiss me just to mess with me._

Again, Wesker was right. Chris really did know more about Wesker than he originally thought.

So why did Wesker want to?

_Maybe the return of his humanity is also messing with his emotions- making everything he felt whilst he was human return and maybe that's what he was talking about when he said things were already changing about him._

The thought made Chris's stomach jump and twist excitedly. These answers all made sense and he was somehow answering them without much thought at all- yet he could easily find himself deep in thought for hours upon hours just running endless questions through his mind with no luck of squeezing a single answer out of himself.

The last question burned at Chris excitedly- What was he going to do now that he wanted Wesker?

_I should do what I want._

His own thought response caused the right side of his mouth to twitch into a smirk and he pulled his palms from his face. Chris would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy the thought of being able to act on desire and allow his mind to stop questioning every little action they did, whether it was separate or together. A dark chuckle escaped from Chris- would he really be able to do it?

_If I want it bad enough, I'll be able to do it._

The answer was enough for him to contently open the locker in front of him. To Chris's surprise, it wasn't his dirty clothes that awaited him inside. Instead, his previous clothes were cleaned and folded neatly within, awaiting Chris' return. It took a long moment for Chris to ask himself who could have done it and after practically no thought, it was obvious.

_Wesker._


	10. Tease

Chris had made his way back to Wesker only to end up in a very awkward position. The moment he entered the room, Wesker had began scolding him- rather, his shouting was getting lost in the clattering around the duo as Wesker threw items around the room so Chris couldn't understand the man anyways. At first, it was small things like notebooks but he soon grew to chairs and even flipping the once sturdy tables.

"Wesker, what the _hell_ is your problem?" Chris shouted amongst all the rampaging anger from the blond.

Wesker stopped, his eyes hidden by skewed sunglasses and his hair slightly coming undone causing several short pieces to be hanging limply in his clenched face. Chris had barely taken a few steps into the room and Wesker was already inches in front of him, pure ferocity radiating off of him like heat. Chris looked at Wesker worriedly- what if something had gone wrong with the serum?

"You, _Chris_. You are my problem," Chris flinched at the hiss in Wesker's voice when his name escaped the man's lips. "You, being the foolish idiot you are, forgot to inject the second serum while I was unconscious. Do you have any _idea_ what kind of harm that caused?"

"I-" Chris was stuttering as he tried remembering his actions from that morning and it was true- the only serum he had grabbed and injected was PG67A/W. "I was worried you were going to start mutating, Wesker! I wasn't exactly focused on your experimental serums!"

"That _experimental serum_ was the only thing keeping PG67A/W from completely damaging the progenitor virus beyond repair! If I wasn't so damn desperate, I wouldn't have been experimenting on myself, Chris! Don't you _think_ before you do _anything_?" Wesker took a deep breath before his heaved breathing slowly transformed into dark chuckling. "Right- I forgot. You over think everything. Perhaps that's why you didn't inject the second serum. You knew it would harm me."

Chris looked at him, purely exasperated. "You've really lost it, Wesker. You actually think I was trying to hurt you this morning? Did you somehow forget my little show after? How could you _possibly_ think I was trying to hurt you at all after that?"

Wesker was quiet for a long, long moment. It was almost scary to Chris- he'd never seen Wesker so angry that he was quiet. No growling, no seething- just stiff and silent.

"What did you return for, then?" Wesker hissed, turning on his heel and stalking back to the table that was left untouched, among few around the room.

Chris grew silent. Moments before, he'd walked into the room with confidence. His mind had mostly talked him into revealing everything and that was his plan- until this. Now, Wesker was on the verge of blaming Chris for something completely accidental (or was it? He'd get to that thought later) and now would definitely not be the time to bring anything up.

"I-I just wanted to say that I took your advice. You were right, that's all," Chris muttered through the silence, his voice faltering dangerously towards the latter part of the statement. It was like his confidence had drained and now, suddenly, Wesker's life was at risk because of him at a time where he wasn't actually trying to kill the man.

Well, technically, it was Wesker's viral life so putting that at risk would be good but if it harmed Wesker in the process then perhaps it wasn't the best and-

Chris's thoughts were really seeming to get out of control as he felt guilt starting to arise. His gaze fell on the hunched over Wesker and he felt himself frown. Wesker was leaning over the table, his shoulders high and his head hanging- he once again looked exhausted. Despite his anger, maybe now _would_ be a good time to bring up his thoughts?

"So you've come to a conclusion, then?" Wesker asked, the anger drained from his voice.

Chris nodded with a lack of realization that Wesker couldn't see him.

"O-Oh, yeah. I have," Chris didn't speak beyond that but when neither did Wesker, he knew he had to make a choice and it was an easy one for him to make. "Wesker, have you gotten any sleep since this whole thing started? Besides the accidental naps and unconscious morning, I mean."

Wesker stood up and turned on his heel, the back of his hip leaning against the table behind him almost to the point of him sitting on it. The blond had removed his sunglasses, most likely when he was hunched over, and they were now hanging in his right hand.

"Don't change the subject, Christopher," he warned, his left hand pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Answer my question and I won't," Chris shot back, his confidence gaining, rather quickly, as their conversation darted back and forth across the room. Chris began towards Wesker slowly, his eyes examining the exhaust apparent in the face of the blond.

"I haven't. It simply isn't needed nor do I have time for such petty-" Wesker trailed off as Chris positioned himself several feet in front of him.

"You look tired, Wesker," Chris spoke, the gruffness in his voice soft but apparent- it was obvious that the statement was a worried observation; painfully obvious, in fact.

"Are you going to begin deeper into how I was right or are you going to continue to make observations of my wellbeing?" Wesker asked coolly, his left palm pressing against the table beneath him in support while he spoke.

Chris sighed heavily, his eyes gazing over Wesker once again before shaking his head. Without speaking, Chris turned to his left and began towards the door, his arms hanging limply at his sides. He felt as if the actions he was taking weren't his own. In fact, all Chris wanted to do was turn around and kiss Wesker- apologetically. It was nowhere in his intention to hurt Wesker when he was trying to save him. Everything he had done during those few moments were out of panic while the kiss was out of relief and possibly gratitude for Wesker not being dead.

Chris didn't know where he was walking to but he had a longing want to be stopped by Wesker before he left the room. However, the moment his foot stepped through the doorway and the automatic door closed behind him, immediate disappointment set in. Sighing again, he decided the best place was his room for now as, he assumed, it was rather late. Following his gut, he walked into his room and was shrouded in darkness once he closed his door. He felt his way to his bed, arms out in front of him with wide but useless eyes surveying the darkness, and was soon sinking into said bed.

Why didn't he say anything? Wesker's temper shouldn't have been the reason for him to just change subjects; especially since Wesker seemed calm after a few long moments and Chris would even go as far as saying they shared some sort of moment towards the end.

But still- Chris said nothing.

* * *

When Chris awoke the next morning, he didn't move from his position on his left side. The brunet stayed perfectly still, his eyes remained closed and his breath shallow. He wanted to reminisce about the night before- he wanted to remember exactly what had happened between the two and how he made Wesker mad while simultaneously was able to completely drain the anger from him within moments. He wanted to remember the weary expression that plagued Wesker's face and the look of mixed confusion and annoyance when he was told he needed a rest.

Once Chris was sure he remembered it all, and now wore a rather bright smile, he stretched. Not soundly or dramatically but he simply stretched out his legs from the tight curl they had been in moments before. He hesitantly opened his eyes, the light from the window dull enough to tell him it was early morning. He sat up and twisted his body around so that his back was now leaning on the headboard comfortably.

Chris inhaled a deep breath with intent of a yawn but choked when he saw a comfortable blond sleeping in the armchair beside the door. He was in a similar position to before- his jaw line sitting comfortable on his knuckle which was supported by his elbow resting on the armrest. Wesker's glasses were off, most likely sitting in the lab, and his left arm was sitting in his lap comfortably.

Chris pulled his knees up near his chest and rested both arms on them, gazing at Wesker with a lingered dreamy smile. The blond just looked so peaceful and relaxed- something Chris hadn't ever seen. Even in their S.T.A.R.S. days, Wesker was always so wound up and stressed. Chris just always assumed it came with the job of being Captain of their squad- little did he know it was from all the research and tyranny he was doing on the side. Now, Wesker was sitting halfway across the room unconscious but nonetheless calm.

Chris duly noted that the man looked younger in this state as he realized he would need to wake Wesker for his injections.

Sighing, Chris turned towards the edge of the bed and allowed his legs to slide down the side until his feet touched the floor. He stood and slowly made his way towards the sleeping blond. Waking Wesker was the last thing Chris wanted to do, especially in this situation, but it was crucial to both of them in more ways than one.

"Wesker," Chris muttered, kneeling down so that he was mostly level with the blond and leaning on the armrest that also held Wesker.

"What is it, Chris?" Wesker murmured back, not bothering to move or open his eyes.

"It should be about time for your serum injections," Chris said quietly.

Wesker let out a heavy sigh before sitting up and opening his eyes. The two stared at each other for a long moment before Wesker stood and strode past the brunet without a word. Chris frowned and slowly stood up right as Wesker left the room, leaving the door open behind him. When the sliding sound of the lab door opening reached Chris, he rounded the corner and exited his room, following the blond.

"Is there a reason you slept in there?" Chris asked as he slid through the closing of the automatic door and had to quicken his step slightly to catch up to Wesker.

"I was simply following your advice. Seeing as there were no other rooms available-"

"No other rooms? This place is huge, Wesker. How can you tell me there's no other rooms besides that one?"

Wesker strolled over to the opposite side of the room and grabbed the briefcase that held the serums before bringing it to his spot near the middle of the room. He set the briefcase on the table, not bothering to move any of the notebooks sprawled out underneath it, and opened it.

"You, Chris, need to learn how to listen before interrupting. I was going to explain before you decided to cut in," Wesker spoke sharply, his back turned to the brunet as he pulled out both serums and set them beside the briefcase before sitting himself down.

"Alright, then explain. I'm listening," Chris urged, pulling the chair out from under the table and sitting to Wesker's left.

"Well-" Wesker began pulling up his sleeve while he spoke, "originally, this facility was supposed to be a lab for Tricell, as you can imagine. However, before they were able to finish the living quarters for the scientists and technicians, Tricell turned their attention to more pressing matters and abandoned the facility." Taking the experimental serum in his right hand, Wesker extended his left arm and lined the needle to the crook of his elbow before pushing the needle in. His thumb proceeded to inject the serum while Chris watched, rather closely.

"What came up exactly to make them stop construction?" Chris asked cautiously, his eyes altering between Wesker and his extended arm.

"The lead of the project got a bit of a promotion," Wesker chuckled darkly and pulled the needle from his arm, discarding the empty syringe back into the briefcase before picking up the second serum. "Following her promotion, she canceled the project and their African division changed priorities."

"That explains why this place looks completely unused," Chris muttered while Wesker began injecting PG67A/W.

"Indeed. However, you described the facility as big yet I don't recall you laying eyes on the outside," Wesker said whilst pulling the needle from his arm and placing it with the other before closing the briefcase.

"I was just assuming. From what I've seen, I thought this place would be huge. I mean that locker room alone-"

"Yes, the facility would have been rather impressive. Unfortunately, Chris, the few rooms you have seen are the only ones that were built and completed. If you were to venture farther down either direction in the main hallway, it would be blocked off," Wesker removed the briefcase from in front of him and set it on the floor beside him.

"So you're saying this place isn't really that big?"

"Indeed I am," Wesker replied before focusing his attention on the notebooks in front of him where his eyes began scanning the notes left from the previous day.

"W-Wait-" Wesker eyed the speaking brunet, "So why have I been sleeping in the only room available? I'd assume you would want it for yourself."

"To what purpose, Christopher? If all I do is work on research, why do I require a room?"

"Maybe for the exact reason that you aren't superhuman anymore, Wesker. You might need a place to sleep every once and awhile-"

"And if you wish, I'll simply inject you with more Ketamine and take the room myself when those times arise as you seem completely unaware that I'm doing you a bit of a favor," Wesker hissed coldly.

"Y-You're doing me… a.. favor?" Chris spoke slowly, glaring at the blond out of complete disbelief. "Albert Wesker doing a favor?"

"If it'll make you feel any better, you can be a hero and sleep in the kitchen for all I care," Wesker muttered as he pushed the notebook that was in front of him aside and pulled another one closer.

"I just don't get it, that's all," Chris mumbled, his eyes down. "I guess it would make sense if that experimental serum is really changing you that much-"

"It isn't. I _do_ get something out of it, Christopher. You've just yet to see it," Wesker assured, a smirk planting on his lips.

"That's a bit more believable," Chris sighed.

This was all just too new for Chris. The brunet was sitting there conversing with Wesker like the man was an old friend while still somehow trying to work in what he had realized the night before. Chris's new feelings were too insane- too hard to deal with. He was stuck between wanting to sit and talk with him forever and wanting to jump the guy right in the middle of the lab.

So Chris chose the only option that saved him from both situations; he stood up and began leaving the room.

"When are you going to realize that running isn't always the solution?" Wesker snapped, still facing forward with his eyes on the notebook closest to him.

"You're telling this to a guy who chased you all over fucking Africa," Chris scoffed, turning on his heel.

"You were simply following orders," Wesker shrugged and sat back comfortably before looking towards Chris who had gotten several feet before stopping. "That isn't the same Chris Redfield that I remember."

"Yeah well, I've changed. A decade of fighting countless zombies and seeing everyone I love slowly die around me tends to do that to you," Chris snapped at the now standing blond.

"Nobody changes, Chris. You're still the same naïve, over caring hero that you always were. You're just hardened. So much so that you find yourself pondering whether all the fighting is worth it, am I correct?" Chris stood in place as Wesker proceeded towards him, the brunette's eyes glued to the green that surveyed him like prey.

"What if I am?" Chris muttered quietly under his breath, barely loud enough for Wesker to hear. "Does any of it matter? Look where I am. No B.S.A.A. coming to rescue me and somehow, even my partners can't seem to find me- _Is_ it even worth it?"

"I fear you're asking the wrong person," Wesker said with a light smirk as they came face to face.

"Yeah well, as you seem to be the only one around-" Chris trailed off and the two stared silently at each other. "Why did you take off your glasses?"

Chris's question came out in a quiet mutter as his eyes examined the green irises that were leisurely getting closer to him.

"It's become surprisingly difficult to see with them on. I leave them on more often than not purely out of habit."

Wesker was speaking as if they weren't face to face.

As if the heat pulsating between them wasn't absolutely unbearable.

As if they weren't gradually getting closer.

"What's the real reason?"

Just as Chris got close enough to Wesker that he was able to pick out bits of blue and grey in his otherwise green eyes, their lips met. It was Wesker who pushed into Chris but the brunet pushed right back and their arms immediately wrapped around each other. Chris's hands constructed around Wesker's neck, his hands pulling and yanking at the blonde's hair while his lips parted and Wesker immediately invaded. Wesker's right arm wrapped around Chris's upper back while his left took the lower, pulling their bodies together hungrily.

_I'm kissing Albert Wesker._

Chris's thoughts seemed to ring to life from their previous hazy state and he was suddenly much more aware than he had been. His tongue on Wesker's, their bodies pressed together, his hands pulling at blond locks and effectively messing them up-

Chris was kissing the man responsible for countless deaths.

The fall of Raccoon City, Kijuju, things that Chris didn't even know about- it was too much. Chris was letting his feelings from S.T.A.R.S.- Feelings from a decade ago cloud his judgment.

Wesker was right, he _was_ the same naïve hero wannabe that he was ten years ago.

That's why Chris quickly untangled his fingers from Wesker's hair and shoved the man by his shoulders, barely breaking them apart considering Wesker's strong hold on him. The two stared at each other a long moment, confusion and disgust lingering in the air before Chris turned on his heel and stalked towards the door.

"Are you really going to do this _again_ , Christopher?" Wesker asked with a playful smirk.

"Wesker, don't make this harder than it already is," Chris snapped before going through the automatic door.

The brunet had barely made it back into his bed when Wesker stormed in, his blond hair askew and his jaw clenched. Chris looked at the man in the doorway, his eyes glaring and his lips stinging from the kiss. Hatred, passion, frustration, and pain surged through him enough that when Wesker slammed the door hard enough for the surrounding walls to vibrate- he didn't flinch or move a muscle.

"Did you or did you not make a fucking decision?" Wesker was talking loudly but definitely not shouting- his teeth were grit together far too much for him to shout.

"Does it matter?"

"Do you want the truthful answer, Chris?"

"Yeah, I do!" Chris shouted, fisting the bed so that he could sit up better.

"I could care less what your answer is because either way, the situation will end the same," Wesker hissed, a deadly smirk plaguing his lips while Chris scoffed.

"Yeah, with me dead, I'm sure."

"I have _no_ intent to kill you, how many times have I explained this?" Wesker asked, his gloved hand rubbing at his temple.

"Right. If you don't want me dead then why am I here? What do you plan on doing with me?" Chris demanded from his spot on the bed, his arms crossing over his chest as he gave a quiet huff.

After a long silence between the two, Wesker began moving.

Wesker remained silent, his lips tightly closed and his arms to his sides as he approached the bed. His eyes stayed glued to Chris while he began climbing onto the bed, his knees dipping into the bed once he was fully on it.

"Wesker-"

Chris broke off once the man began climbing over his body, straddling him whilst moving farther and farther up Chris. Chris uncrossed his arms slowly as Wesker proceeded closer to him and it was then he began to realize why he was there in the first place- the reason that Wesker had taken him prisoner.

"You will be mine, Chris," Wesker whispered, his lips brushing against Chris's ear while their chests pressed into each other.

"What if I don't want it?" Chris asked, his arms raising in preparation to push the blond away.

Wesker chuckled darkly in his ear before biting onto the lobe roughly, his teeth pulling at it enough to make Chris's fists grasp and pull at Wesker's coat. When a noise escaped the hero's lips, Wesker stopped and slid his tongue against the abused and reddening flesh before moving down to gnaw softly at Chris's neck. Chris went to push the man away again, his palms against the blonde's shoulders but just as he began to push, Wesker dug his teeth well into Chris's skin. Rather than pushing the man away, Chris's hands clamped around the man's leather covered shoulders and he began clawing at them, his head tilting to the opposite side while his eyes shut tightly.

"Are you really trying to fight this, Chris?" Wesker asked tauntingly, his tongue escaping his lips once again to lick the bleeding skin while Chris struggled to figure whether he wanted to pull Wesker into him or push him away.

"If I don't, what kind of man does that make me?" Chris asked, his eyes opening and his neck straining so that he could look down at Wesker.

"Simply a man in denial," Wesker spoke as his hips expertly ground down against Chris, causing his head to fly back and a soft sound to escape his lips. Smirking, Wesker did it a second time but was happily shocked to find Chris's arousal pressing against his own. "Point proven, I believe," Wesker stated matter-of-factly before slowly moving his arms up to remove Chris's hands from his shoulders; even if the man wasn't pushing, it was still obstructing his goal.

"Shut up," Chris muttered, his arms falling to his sides and his head drifting off to the right as his cheeks flushed ever so slightly. "At least I tried," he muttered as he felt Wesker's fingers tugging at the bottom of his shirt.

"You didn't seem to try very hard, I'm afraid," Wesker taunted, his suddenly ungloved fingers pushing up the bottom of Chris's shirt to reveal his refined stomach. "Though, I'm certainly not objecting," Wesker muttered as his right index finger began tracing the lines of Chris's lean stomach. As the finger dipped into the middle and trailed up, Wesker's left hand pushed Chris's shirt until it was well past his chest. While his left hand held the shirt in place, his right continues to trace upwards until reaching his chest.

Chris's eyes flicked back and forth between Wesker's hand and his figure which was poised just inches above his waist, effectively straddling him. Wesker's finger dipped under Chris's right peck and trailed up and around until it neared the nipple where it began gliding in a playful circle around it.

"Why the hell are you such a damn tease?" Chris asked gruffly, his head falling back against the headboard just in time for Wesker to lean forward and give the nub a rough lick.

Chris immediately put a hand to his mouth, effectively stopping a loud noise from escaping his lips. Wesker ignored the gesture and instead, allowed his lips to encircle the suddenly erect nipple. When Chris suddenly felt Wesker engulf the nub with overwhelming suction, a drawn out, but yet muffled, moan unleashed from deep within his throat and immediately his eyes shut again before Wesker removed his mouth. Sitting back up, the blonde's attention went to the forgotten nipple and he immediately began taunting it.

Wesker's index finger began by lightly tapping it, causing it to erect just as the other did before taking it between said finger and thumb. Rubbing it between the two fingers caused another muffled sound from somewhere within Chris. Wesker noted the slight sound of desperation in the next whine as Wesker flicked the nub with his tongue before burying it between his lips.

Chris's right hand began clawing at the bed spread beneath him while his left remained at his lips. The back of his hand pressed harder against his tightened mouth as he fought back another moan and found himself both relieved and disheartened when Wesker pulled away from that as well. Wesker moved his left hand from Chris's shirt, letting it drop several inches, and moved Chris's hand from his mouth before taking the brunette's lips with his own.

Without a struggle or much resistance at all, Chris responded to the kiss by allowing the blonde to easily invade his mouth. Wesker's tongue explored Chris for only a moment before it began massaging at the muscle. Chris let out a soft moan as their tongues entangled in one another, his left hand pulling out of Wesker's grasp to wrap around the back of the blonde's neck and to push them farther into each other.

However, just as Chris began contemplating on removing their clothing, Wesker pulled away.

"Wha-" was all that escaped in Chris's disappointment as Wesker removed himself from him completely and stepped off the bed.

"I was simply proving a point, Christopher. Seeing as I've done that, I believe my job here is finished and I can return to my research," Wesker spoke simply, grabbing his gloves that he had absentmindedly tossed to the edge of the bed beforehand.

"You can't be serious," Chris spoke angrily, pulling down his shirt and swinging his legs over the side sitting up straighter.

"Of course I am," Wesker smirked before turning on his heel, opening the door and exiting the room.


	11. Decision

Chris sat there, on his bed, for a delayed moment. He could feel the throbbing coursing through his entire body slowly dissipate and he was quickly filling with anger. Not only was the brunet entirely confused but he was now feeling guilty for succumbing to the blonde and even now, still wanting more. After everything Wesker had done- all it took was a few kisses, bites, and rubs and suddenly Chris didn't care?

Chris felt outright ashamed.

Yet, the man stood up and walked to his door. After opening the door and walking into the hallway, his right hand rose his lips where he could still taste Wesker. When the automatic door slid open, he walked through it and found Wesker sitting in his normal spot, already deep in his work.

"I didn't assume you would pursue me this quickly, Christopher. Did you finally come to terms with your feelings or are you simply here to shout?" Wesker asked, his eye pressed against a microscope.

"You're such a damn hypocrite!" Chris yelled, both hands balling into fists at his sides as he walked towards Wesker, the door closing behind him.

"Apparently, you're here to shout. Unfortunately for you, I'm rather busy considering you simply won't allow me to get any work done," Wesker sighed heavily and pulled from the microscope to sit up and look towards Chris who was to his left with his arms crossed.

"You tell me to stop running and that it isn't always the solution- but what the fuck was that?"

"I'm _not_ running," Wesker spoke, standing to face Chris. "In fact-" he leaned in rather close and Chris's hands fell limp at his sides, "-If I wanted to, I would throw you on this table and ravish you until you couldn't walk."

Wesker paused and watched the words sink into Chris, causing the brunette's cheeks to redden.

"However, as I said, I have quite a bit of work to get done and I won't bother wasting my valuable time by trying to seduce someone who obviously doesn't want it. Now, if you don't mind-" Wesker turned and sat back down, grabbing the glasses that sat in front of him and placing them on his nose.

Chris didn't leave; his eyes were on Wesker, though the man didn't seem to care all that much, and his hands were curled into white fists again but for a different reason- the mixture of guilt and want. The longer he stood there, the more he realized he was desperately searching for something to say or some excuse he could come up with for Wesker's attention to be put back on him but nothing seemed to be good enough.

So, roughly pushing the thoughts from his mind of everything Wesker was and what he'd done in the past decade alone, Chris walked up to the sitting blonde who made no indication that he was there as he continued scribbling various equations down. Chris bent over and, using his left forefinger and thumb, tilted Wesker's chin to face him.

Being just inches from the blonde's face, Chris could see Wesker's gaze from behind the sunglasses shift from the table to him. When their eyes met, Chris leaned in, his eyes closing as he took Wesker's lips. His nose brushed against Wesker's when he parted his lips, just enough for Wesker to sneak his tongue through, much like a snake; First, the muscle swept over the brunette's lower lip but it quickly dove and met Chris's head on before beginning to feel around the cavern that was Chris' mouth. When the blonde's expert tongue slid back across Chris' and both muscles curled around each other, a muffled moan escaped the brunet and he felt Wesker smirk into the kiss.

Pulling from their kiss, just enough to breathe and look at each other, Chris gave a half smile and his gaze fell to the side along with the hand holding Wesker's face.

"Would you waste your time if I wanted to be seduced?" Chris whispered. Despite being mere inches from each other, close enough for both to continue the kiss if Chris would look up, Wesker barely heard him but when he did- the smirk on his lips grew wider.

"Indeed I would."

Chris jumped when his left wrist was grabbed and he was suddenly being led, with ease, in between Wesker and the lab table. Wesker then began pulling the brunet forward and it took the man a long moment to realize that the blond wanted him on his lap- and Chris obliged. Sliding one leg over Wesker's lap, Chris lowered himself until he was leaning on Wesker's thighs, though with an easy slide of the blonde's leg, Chris was pushed into the blond with their bodies pressed firmly together. Wesker's arms protectively around Chris and his fingers interlocked around the brunette's mid back.

Once Chris was able to sit straight and shake the blush from his cheeks, he used both hands to slide the glasses from Wesker's face. Closing the temples of the glasses and setting them somewhere behind him on the table.

"Better," Chris said under his breath as a shaky hand went to cup Wesker's pale cheek. His thumb brushed over closed lips while his eyes stared intently into Wesker's.

"Are you finished, Christopher?" Wesker asked, his gaze remaining stern but his lips pulling in a half smirk. "You stare at me frequently enough, I believe, you should know what they look-"

"Right, yeah. Sorry, I just-" Chris was cut off by Wesker's lips connecting with his and he immediately closed his eyes, accepting it despite his lost description of how amazing Wesker's human eyes were.

Without much of a warning, Wesker's tongue returned to Chris' mouth and within moments, Chris' shirt was being tossed aside and Wesker's gloveless hands were already gliding over his muscled skin. Chris felt almost helpless as he realized he wasn't sure what to do with his hands. Without the blonde's jacket in the way, his short sleeved turtleneck lay open and waiting for Chris to take off- but he didn't.

That was, until Wesker moved his right hand from behind Chris to one of the arms around his neck. Grabbing Chris' arm, he began moving it to his neck where the zipper sat in wait and Chris got the hint.

Chris unzipped the shirt but allowed his hands to wander underneath the fabric. His fingers began blindly tracing muscle lines before Chris, eventually, slid it off of Wesker. The shirt dropped onto the back of the chair and Wesker moved. The blond, making sure that both arms were secured around Chris, stood up and set Chris on the table in front of them, slightly to the left of the microscope but nonetheless on quite a few important notes.

As Wesker proceeded to unbutton Chris's pants, a hand stopped him. Breaking the kiss, Wesker looked at Chris but found his gaze to be looking over his shoulder- avoiding eye contact completely.

Getting past those hard feelings of being betrayed took quite an effort from Chris- but knowing Wesker was behind everything would take much more time; Unfortunately, he was out of time and simply trying to forget that he was currently about to sleep with his nemesis but that was proving to be difficult as well.

All he needed was a simple moment to get the thoughts from his head.

"If you're changing your mind again, Chris-" Wesker growled, but Chris shook his head quickly.

It would be impossible for him to stop now, even if he had changed his mind and decided to be the hero. True, he knew the man in front of him was a monster but that didn't change how much the brunet wanted him; Despite how much he wished for the feelings to go away, they'd been bubbling just under the surface for years.

"I just needed a second to breathe, that's all. Go ahead," Chris muttered, his gaze falling to the left to avoid looking at the blonde further.

Wesker barely waited for Chris to finish the instruction before unbuttoning the brunette's pants. Without unzipping them, he stepped back and Chris stepped off the table, allowing both pants and boxers to pool at his feet. Chris quickly kicked off his socks and stood, blushing wildly as Wesker stared at him like prey while he fidgeted with his own pants. As soon as Chris began wishing the lights in the lab weren't so bright, Wesker returned to kissing him and he was suddenly happy that their now nude bodies were pressed together.

When Wesker's left hand tugged at Chris' right thigh and moved it up for Chris to wrap his leg around the blonde's waist, the brunet realized how rushed everything seemed to be. However, that and most of the guilt that lay in the pit of his stomach went completely forgotten the second their arousals rubbed against each other. He muffled a moan into their kiss and happily obliged when Wesker motioned for his left leg. Chris's ankles latched around each other as Wesker pushed him against the edge of the table, setting his backside just barely on the table enough for Chris to lay back if he wanted. 

"W-Wait," Chris spoke in a muffle, pulling from the kiss.

"What _now_ , Christopher?" Wesker growled as Chris pulled his arms from their position around Wesker's neck to settle behind him in a way to get comfortable.

"I've never _done_ this. I don't know what to expect," Chris muttered, his gaze landing on Wesker's chest rather than his face.

"We are not having sex, Chris. Assuming you know the basics of-"

"We aren't?" For the first time, Chris looked up at Wesker who was towering over him.

"Of course not. I wouldn't without full intention of continuing into something even remotely serious and considering our current situation- Perhaps we could talk about this later?" He asked almost exasperatingly.

"Yeah, just do it," Chris muttered, leaning back and his gaze going to the lights shining above him.

Wesker paid no attention to the utter disappointment in Chris' voice; though it wasn't as if he assumed anything would come of this. He simply couldn't hide the fact that there was little hope, somewhere inside of him, that Wesker didn't have an expiration date and maybe things would change.

But again, Wesker was right. Chris was still the naïve brunet he always was and the very thought made Chris feel utterly ridiculous.

Chris was pulled from his thoughts when Wesker rolled his hips against Chris', causing the brunet to emit a low moan. He sat up using both elbows and watched as Wesker rolled again, this time, Chris rolling up to meet Wesker's; This caused their arousals to collide and grind into each other. Chris found himself panting by the third mutual roll and felt the need to be touched further. Sitting up completely, he wrapped his arms around Wesker's neck again, supporting him so that now their arousals were pushed together and every movement, whether it was breathing or a simple reposition, was felt by both men. His mouth went to the blonde's ear and he pulled into him further as he spoke.

"I want to be touched," he stated rather huskily before his own neck was suddenly attacked with nips and licks as a response.

Wesker moved his right hand from Chris' thigh to wrap around his throbbing arousal. Slowly, the blond began pumping his hand around Chris and it was just enough for a low groan to escape Chris' lips. A long few moments of slow pumping and a small stream of precum spilled from Chris' tip to slide down the shaft. Wesker smirked and ran a thumb over the tip, causing Chris to shudder and bite away at his lip to suppress a moan.

"D-Do you want me to-" Chris asked in a breath of shuttering whispers and Wesker chuckled, nipping roughly to cut the man off.

"Don't bother asking, Chris. Just do it," He demanded, teeth grabbing at Chris' earlobe.

Feeling ridiculous again as he internally scolded himself for attempting to ask, Chris unwrapped his right arm from around Wesker's neck and his hand searched for Wesker's member pressing into his before holding it fondly. Never having been in this situation with a man, he just chose the best option that came to his mind- do what he would do to himself and hope for the best; and so that's what he did.

Wesker continued to slowly pump Chris while the brunet started on the blond. His hand first wrapped around the head, his thumb brushing over the tip as Wesker did to him.

Before long, both were able to keep the same speed and they were soon increasing said speed as the need to climax came ever closer. Both were panting, though Chris was much more obvious as his moans had turned into muffled whimpers in their kisses. True, he wanted to enjoy this time with Wesker but he was growing restless and wanted the man to go faster.

When he finally did, it still wasn't enough and Chris found himself internally begging. The touch wasn't enough, the kissing wasn't enough; but there was nothing Chris could do about it and he had to accept it.

And so, as Wesker rolled his hips again for the first time since they began, Chris moaned and found himself, even just momentarily, fine with their situation.

Chris whimpered into their kiss until he had to pull away from the blond when another shudder erupted through his body as Wesker's thumb rubbed at his slit. His forehead leaned against Wesker's shoulder as his own hand quickened- he never wanted the moment to end but the clenching in his stomach told him it had to and soon.

Wesker noticed the change and chuckled darkly before accepting the new speed and began following Chris' motion set. With nothing to do with his mouth, Wesker began biting harshly at Chris' shoulder, his teeth digging into the skin and causing various noises to escape Chris.

Abruptly, Wesker pushed heavily for a finish as he began pumping Chris rapidly. Just the mere shift in speed caused the brunet to completely turn breathless and soon, his own pumping was getting sloppy as he was unable to keep in rhythm with Wesker. It only took a brush of a thumb and a few rolls of Wesker's hips before Chris came. He rolled into Wesker's hand as he rode the orgasm, his pelvis practically gyrating through the finishing spasms.

Just as it stopped, still panting heavily, Chris sat up and looked down, realizing most of the streams of hot white shot and landed on both of their chests.

"Switch positions with me," Chris muttered as he unhooked his ankles from the crook of Wesker's back and let them fall, the pads of his feet barely touching the cold floor beneath them due to his position on the table.

Wesker didn't question him and stepped back half a step, allowing Chris to slide from the table and take Wesker's spot while Wesker leaned against the table.

"What exactly are you doing, Christopher?" Wesker asked, an eyebrow raising as he watched Chris drop slowly to his knees.

In reality, Chris was rather unsure of what he was doing. Again, he was going by things that he liked and wasn't even sure if he would do any of it right but he wanted to try.

Without bothering with a verbal response, Chris leaned in and, while grabbing the base of Wesker's cock, hesitantly putting his lips around the head. The warmth caused a soft growl to escape Wesker's throat and this pushed Chris farther over Wesker, his tongue flicking over the tip before licking up the underside of the shaft. Pushing the member as far as he could into his mouth, which only left enough room for his hand twisted around the base, he hollowed his cheeks and began pulling his mouth back up, his hand following his lips while his tongue slid over the underside again.

Chris soon set himself into a rhythm and his stomach jumped when Wesker's head lulled to the side and his hand began gliding through his hair. The brunet knew when Wesker was approaching his climax because a grunt escaped gritted teeth and his fingers grasped at Chris's locks roughly. Chris let out a soft reverberating moan at the sudden pull at his hair and the pure vibration sent Wesker into thrusting fits while another low growl emitted from his throat.

Reluctantly, Chris took the mouth abuse and was able to hold the hot liquid in his mouth until Wesker was done. Pulling his lips from Wesker, Chris got up and rushed to the laboratory sink, spitting out the contents and rinsing out his mouth; not that the taste was bad. On the contrary, Chris found it intriguing, but he wanted to make sure it was completely out of his mouth before returning to kiss Wesker and considering it has been his first time, he wasn't too keen on swallowing.

When Chris returned to Wesker, he was picking up his clothing and slipping into his pants loosely. Chris reluctantly did the same, however, the mess still remained on his stomach and he felt suddenly disgusting as he pulled on his underpants without wiping up. As if on cue, Wesker pulled a small white rag from one of the cabinets and wet it before handing it to Chris in silence.

After wiping himself clean, he threw the rag into the sink across the room and finished buttoning his pants before sighing and sitting down.

The guilt was quickly coming back and the awkward air certainly wasn't helping.

"That was rather unexpected," Wesker spoke, sitting back where he had been prior to the incident.

"What was unexpected exactly? The whole thing or the end… er... Thing?" Chris blushed and his gaze shifted but stayed on Wesker.

"The latter," Wesker chuckled quietly, his shirt still hanging from the back of his chair.

"Is that good?"

"In more ways than one, yes. If you're looking for approval, Chris, then you have it," Wesker spoke with a smirk before looking to the work that was spread out in front of him. "However, I _really_ need to work on this research and I believe you've distracted me enough."

"Yeah, I'll leave you to your work," Chris said hurriedly, a hand rubbing at the back of his neck as he stood up. He turned to leave but stopped and looked back at Wesker as his arm fell back to his side. He looked from the door back to Wesker before taking a few steps back and returning to Wesker's side. The blonde turned to look at Chris only to have his lips taken over again for a long, parting kiss. "I hope we can do that again," he muttered when he pulled back.

"Nothing would have happened if I had no intention to continue, Christopher," Wesker spoke simply and Chris smiled.

"Alright," Chris stood up and began towards the door again. The moment his body stepped into the doorway, he looked over his shoulder and said loudly enough for Wesker to hear, "Wesker, if you get tired, do us both a favor and don't sleep in the armchair again."

"I wouldn't dare dream of it, Chris," Wesker called back smugly before Chris vanished from the doorway.

Chris was going to have a tough time sleeping due to the mix of guilt and sheer giddiness running through him but the exhaustion rubbing at his entire body was turning numbing so he needed to at least _try._


	12. Trust

When Chris awoke, it was to another headache. He squeezed his eyes shut and bit his lip in attempts to brace the pain that was swelling in his temples. Both hands cupped the sides of his head and a low groan escaped his lips as he rolled onto his left side to face the edge of the bed. Just when he was going to push past the pain to somehow remember the memory induced dream, an arm curled around his waist and into his stomach.

Chris froze and he momentarily forgot the pain; He allowed his left hand to drop slowly, gliding down blindly through the darkness until it found the mysterious hand cupping him so protectively. His fingers brushed lightly over the blonde's fingers and they immediately intertwined with his.

"I suppose I was wrong."

Wesker's voice broke through the silence and Chris fought the urge to pull their hands apart as the pain returned.

"What do you mean?" Chris asked, rolling onto his back while impatiently waiting for the pain to dissipate.

"I assumed you had remembered everything. I was wrong. I suppose I couldn't expect the plan to go so accordingly," Wesker replied simply.

"Your plan? It was an actual plan?"

"Indeed it was. _This_ was even part of the plan."

Chris sighed and pulled himself up, his shirtless torso visible in the small stream of moonlight that was shining through the window. He looked at the dark shadow that was Wesker, a small bittersweet smile plaguing just under the surface.

He hated himself.

Chris had betrayed countless people- what would his partners think? What was he supposed to think? What would happen now? His thoughts were everywhere.

"What did you remember?"

Wesker's voice startled Chris from his guilt filled thoughts and his response didn't come for a long few moments as he tried to remember his dream.

"Nothing, apparently. I'm sure I dreamed of a memory but I'm not sure what it was. I usually get flashes of a memory but never just nothing… and I'm sure there's still a lot more missing. I only remember bits and pieces of things and I get headaches whenever I try to fill in the blanks."

"Odd but nonetheless explainable. Perhaps sleep could bring more answers than hammering thoughts could," Wesker suggested as his hand untangled itself from Chris' to trace the brunette's stomach lines.

"Probably," was Chris' response but he didn't shift to a lying position.

He didn't know if it was from guilt or just going to bed early, but sleep didn't feel like much of an option despite knowing Wesker was right.

"You aren't?" Wesker asked after a few silent minutes rolled by.

"You should. You've seemed exhausted lately."

"That wasn't what I asked, Christopher," Wesker said stiffly.

Chris sighed quietly again when he heard shuffling and felt the bed shift. Chris gave a glance to see Wesker's sitting form.

"I know that isn't what you asked. Just go back to sleep, Wesker."

"You are far too stubborn," Wesker muttered with a light shake of his head.

"Stubborn isn't the word to use," Chris said as he looked to the blond again.

"Alright. I'll say-" Wesker paused a moment and when he spoke again, Chris could hear the light amusement in his voice, "-human."

"I can live with that," Chris responded before sitting back against the headboard.

Silence overtook the two and it wasn't until an hour had passed that Chris realized Wesker was asleep. Chris looked at the blond as morning light began breaking. He was able to see Wesker's head resting on the headboard while his pale golden chest rose and fell with his slow deep breaths.

With Wesker unconscious, Chris found his mind wandering from his forgotten memories to the guilt that was invading him. What exactly possessed him to do any of the things they did? What was going to happen between them now? What if Jill or Sheva found him let alone, somehow found out about all of it?

He was certainly no prisoner now and if faced with it, would he leave if given the chance?

Another glance to Wesker told him how indecisive he truly was. Chris wasn't exactly the type of happy, nor upset, that he expected but he found it rather difficult to describe his feelings with just a simple word so everything seemed scattered.

However, nothing about this was simple and one word would never be able to explain it which somehow made the brunet feel better.

Chris looked at Wesker cautiously before slowly maneuvering his body closer to the blonde's. When he was close enough, he carefully began lowering himself onto Wesker; Chris's head rested on Wesker's chest and their bodies sat comfortable together.

"This is rather inappropriate, Chris."

"I-I know," Chris spoke quietly but didn't move.

Chris's head rose and fell with Wesker's defeated sigh shortly after and Chris had to hide the smile that crept onto his lips.

The brunet knew how ridiculous it was but being closer to the blond made his guilt seem unimportant and that feeling was enough to push him into taking the sort of chances that he was taking now.

"Chris-"

"Go back to sleep, Wesker. I'll wake you when the serum is needed."

Without a word, Wesker obeyed and fell asleep within a few quiet minutes, giving Chris another small boost of confidence.

* * *

After Chris had woken Wesker, the blond insisted Chris would merely be a distraction and he was told to keep out of the lab. Chris was chasing the man back and forth across the room while Wesker dressed and prepared for the day ahead simply giving reasons why he should be allowed in the lab. A stern look had Chris sighing and sitting on the bed with a quiet mutter.

"What was that?" Wesker asked, grabbing his gloves from the bedside table.

"I said 'fine'," Chris spoke louder.

Wesker chuckled darkly and began towards the door but stopped abruptly when his named was called.

"I need the serum soon, Chris. Time is short," Wesker sighed, turning back slightly to see Chris approaching him.

"Time is always short," Chris said before closing the distance between them.

When Wesker didn't fight it, Chris' arms, by instinct, went up; One arm wrapped around Wesker's neck while the other cupped his cheek in an attempt to deepen the kiss. Chris' right hand gripped the back of Wesker's neck, his fingers tugging on the tiny blond hairs that were disheveled from the gel. Their lips moved against each other smoothly, fitting together much like two puzzle pieces. Just as Wesker's tongue slipped through Chris' lips, the brunet pulled away.

"Might as well enjoy it while we can," Chris whispered before returning to his seat on the bed.

Chris watched Wesker smirk, nod, and leave. The moment the door was closed, Chris fell back onto the bed, his eyes going to the ceiling. Without Wesker physically in front of him, Chris wondered if his guilt would return.

Almost immediately he began contemplating the betrayal of S.T.A.R.S, the countless deaths, Jill's fake death and kidnapping, and then Africa and Uroboros- all Wesker's doing. What was wrong with Chris? He knew this _thing_ would never go anywhere. Despite his feelings, he was well aware that it would be far too useless to try. _It_ was all nothing. What they had was just a tiny look into their past- that's what Chris thought, anyway. Whether he was right or not was certainly different.

Though, was he _ever_ right?

Either way, Chris knew the whole situation meant more to him than Wesker and was sure Wesker knew about it as well. Chris was suppose to be the hero; he was suppose to be a B.S.A.A agent; He was suppose to be human. Would anyone _human_ actually do this?

 _Probably_.

Humans make mistakes, that's their nature, but was this really just a mistake? Aren't you supposed to learn from mistakes? Aren't you supposed to work against repeating the actions that were deemed mistakes? Unfortunately, Chris didn't have much of a will to cease what the two had; he was content with their situation and that's what mattered when he had no other way out.

At this point, Chris wondered if it was even guilt that was plaguing him. There were certainly loads of other feelings swelling just beneath the surface but it all seemed cloudy like he didn't want to look too far into the future out of fear of what he might find.

Perhaps it was trepidation or possibly denial- whatever it was, a word wouldn't explain it. That was the only thing Chris seemed sure of.

Chris then began wondering if it would just be easier to accept their doomed relationship (or whatever it was) and have fun with it. That's what Wesker seemed to be doing and it worked for him. Why couldn't it work for Chris? Why couldn't he just do what he wanted with the situation at hand and deal with everything else when it came, like Wesker?

Right, because he's human and Wesker isn't.

Chris sighed at the thought. He knew sitting in a room all day would do little good for his mental health or state of mind but was low on options now that he had been banned from the laboratory. He contemplated food and possibly a shower, a thought that intrigued him due to the actions of the previous night.

Chris took a long moment of contemplation before sitting up and deciding food and a decent shower was a better alternative to sulking- even if he was simply running from his feelings.

* * *

By the time Chris arrived at the kitchen, he had acquired a genuine appetite. Stepping into the large room, his eyes immediately went to the empty sink; this meant Wesker had washed the dried macaroni from the pot and this caused the brunet to feel guilty. Wesker had important life saving research to be conducting and instead he was running about cleaning after Chris.

Chris involuntarily gave a bitter chuckle as a thought occurred to him.

Just like in S.T.A.R.S.

 _It was aggravating for Chris having to be stuck with paperwork all the time. Unfortunately, he was practically the Captain's secretary, unlike the rest of the team. He didn't know why Captain Wesker treated him like he wasn't qualified to be a S.T.A.R.S. member; like he wasn't a valuable member of the team. Chris sighed and stood from his desk, walking to the printer that sat beside Jill's currently empty desk. It sprang to life as he stepped up to it and began sliding out the papers dealing with the most recent case involving a drug deal they had intervened. Unfortunately, as he had been the one to rush in after being told specific orders not to, he was faced with even_ more _paperwork._

_The Captain wasn't even back yet from having to debrief Chief Irons and Chris doubted Wesker would make him look anything other than the worst. The thought of Wesker returning made Chris shiver- he really didn't want to face his Captain. Angry Wesker was one of the worst things he'd ever come across and he knew it was coming soon._

_This was the calm before the storm._

_Chris turned on his heel once a stack of papers sat neatly in his hands and looked around at the empty office. It was nearly nine at night the last he'd checked and he'd been alone for at least an hour before realizing it. After they'd returned from the case, Jill had been the only one to talk to him. She was stern, true, and Chris had gotten an earful but she didn't just ignore him like the rest of the members. Eventually, they would talk to him but for now, he was alone and doomed to face the wrath of Captain Albert Wesker._

_Now, all Chris had to do was set the stack of papers on Wesker's desk for the man to sign stating everything was correct, and he could rush home as well. All the brunet needed to do was avoid Wesker- seemed easy enough._

_Chris hurried into his Captain's office, his eyes momentarily glazing over the empty room- It lacked so much personality and looked nothing like a Captain's office should. This always made Chris uneasy and the room kind of made him feel awkward, even when Wesker wasn't in it. Chris easily compared it to a child being in a principal's office as he awaited his punishment for mouthing off to a teacher- but it was far worse. Chris would take a childish punishment any day to the tongue lashing he would have to endure from his Captain._

_Chris quickly walked towards the desk and just as he was leaning over it- a voice made him drop the papers too soon, causing them to scatter._

" _Redfield, what are you doing?"_

" _CAPTAIN!" Chris yelped out, helplessly watching the papers float and slide until most of them settled on the floor._

" _You truly are unbelievable- and that is far from a compliment," Wesker hissed, his arms behind his back as he strode into the room. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused, Redfield? You couldn't follow a simple order?"_

_Chris remained silent, he knew better than to interrupt Wesker. He simply shook his head as his eyes kept glancing to the floor around them and the papers that littered it._

" _You realize," Wesker began as he rounded the opposite side of the desk, stepping onto the papers with silent crackles causing Chris to sigh. "you've not only endangered the entire team, you also put both of our jobs on the line as well?"_

_Chris, again, remained silent._

_Wesker didn't speak either, his sunglasses reflecting in the dim lighting above them, allowing Chris to see just how angry he was._

" _I'm sorry," Chris muttered, his gaze falling from Wesker's._

" _Redfield, don't lie to me. You may be clumsy and illogical but you are certainly not sorry," Wesker hissed. "Most people learn from their mistakes. You would think getting discharged from the military would be enough for you to learn."_

_Chris' jaw tightened and his fists clenched at his sides- Wesker noticed._

" _Why did you bother doing it if you aren't going to defend your actions? So tell me, Redfield, why did you do it?"_

_Chris opened his mouth to speak but when nothing came, he stopped trying and remained silent._

" _Perhaps it was foolish of me to defend you," Wesker spoke coolly- but Chris looked up._

" _Defend me?"_

" _Oh, you have a voice now, do you?"_

" _You defended me?" Chris asked perplexed._

" _What was your reasoning?"_

_Chris remained silent for a long moment before sighing and shrugging._

" _I don't know. It just felt right. We hadn't done enough recon on the place to be sure of all their positions and it would have been dangerous to go in slow, in my opinion. So, when Jill unlocked the front door and everyone was in place- I just sort of… went," Chris explained quietly, his eyes flicking to different parts of Wesker's face. "Why would you defend me?"_

" _Simply," Wesker exhaled heavily and sat down in the chair behind him before beckoning for Chris to sit as well; Chris obeyed. "When I chose you to be a S.T.A.R.S member, I understood the risks I was taking. I'd been warned, mind you, by multiple colleagues including Chief Irons. The dolt assumed you couldn't be controlled or couldn't follow orders but it was my ending decision. You follow orders, Redfield. You may not logically consider things or weigh in all options, but you respect me as your Captain and your team as your colleagues enough to not endanger us. I realize what you were doing, I realize that won't be a habit you break anytime soon- however-" A smile had been slowly forming on Chris' face as Wesker continued but it quickly fell to the shock that gathered in the single word 'however'._

" _However- I also realize that either plan would have worked equally well and you disobeyed my direct orders without thinking it through. There's a difference, Redfield, that you need to learn. The difference between following your heart and following your mind. Perhaps when you know which is best, your actions won't be questioned. Until said time arises, you need to control your impulses and trust me, as your Captain."_

" _I'm-I'm sorry, Captain," Chris muttered, his entire head falling. "What did you say to Chief Irons?"_

" _The entire debrief turned into whether you were worth the risk nearly as soon as it began. However, I was able to persuade him by altering the scenario slightly," Wesker spoke, leaning forward onto his desk while his fingers interlocked in front of him._

" _You… lied?"_

" _Indeed. I simply told him the perpetrators were aware of us and if you hadn't acted impulsive then someone could have been injured. This means, of course, he began considering whether I was right for the job as Captain of S.T.A.R.S. and whether I considered all scenarios and all available options."_

" _You risked your job… for me?" Chris asked, looking at the blond in amazement._

" _Yes, I did. However, I won't do it again, do you understand me?"_

" _Y-Yeah. I don't know really what to say, Captain," Chris muttered with a bit of a grin._

" _Well," Wesker smirked and Chris's grin fell, "you probably shouldn't say much. You have quite a bit of work to do now that you have to reword the rest of the team's paperwork, including your own."_

_Chris groaned and fell against the back of the chair._

" _You want it done tonight, don't you, Captain?"_

" _Indeed I do, Redfield."_

" _I hate when you call me that," Chris muttered, standing in a bit of a sulk._

" _I realize that," Wesker said simply before Chris began towards the door. "You aren't finished in here. I'm not going to clean up these papers for you, you know," Chris turned and the tired look on his face was enough to make Wesker smirk._

_It was clearly pitiful and Chris was well aware of it._

" _Never mind, Christopher. Go home. Deal with the paperwork in the morning and I might as well clean this up."_

Chris sighed as he stared at the empty plate in front of him. He hadn't felt full in weeks. It had been far too long since he had a real meal sitting in his stomach and it was enough to make him feel as if he could go another few weeks on simply that meal; he liked this feeling far too much.

Chris walked his empty plate to the sink and gave it a quick wash before drying it and returning it to the cupboard. The memory had been a nice one, something he hadn't thought of in a long while because of the pain it brought him. He remembered his old Captain's words all too well-

" _Until said time arises, you need to control your impulses and trust me, as your Captain."_

Chris leaned against the counter and mentally began to push the lingering thought of betrayal from his head. Chris trusted his Captain all that time ago and look where it got them. Most of the team was now dead, indirectly or directly by cause of Wesker, and the few remaining members were spread out or otherwise unknown.

There were times, usually when Chris was alone or vulnerable, that he considered memories like that to be real. He liked playing with the thought of Wesker actually being truthful and the entire betrayal had simply been forced by Umbrella- though it was a façade; a simple illusion created by his mind to make him feel better about painful memories that haunted him.

While Chris left the room, he mused over the reasoning for him liking the memory so much. He had always assumed it was simply how frightened he was at first and somehow, it all worked out but he knew better. The brunet was well aware that he liked the damn memory so much because of Wesker; When he had first entered the room, the blond was angry. He wanted to kill Chris, most likely literally, and had every right to feel that way but unlike the military, Wesker understood. He understood Chris' reasoning for doing something that he wasn't supposed to do just because it felt right.

His echoing footsteps pulled him from his musings and he almost had to catch himself from walking directly past the bathroom door. It was sad, when he thought about it. His memories always put him in a sour mood and yet, Chris found himself enjoying them. It was a bittersweet sort of enjoyment but enjoyment nonetheless- and he hated it.

Chris wondered, while walking through the bathroom and into the shower room, if that was why he found himself stuck in the past more often than not. He seemed more enthralled with his past and trying to figure out which moments were real and which were fake, that he seemed blinded by the present and the future scared him.

This thought made the brunet laugh and he pushed it from his mind before beginning to undress.

_Chris looked into those glowing eyes as Wesker turned to him. He'd just ruined the entirety of the blonde's plans and Wesker was far worse than simply upset; he was pissed. A woman's voice spoke warnings through the speakers around them and the sound of rushing air deafened the three of them. Chris looked from Wesker to the opening hatch as he clung to a nearby railing._

" _H-Hang on!" Chris called to Sheva who was also clinging to a railing but much closer to the hatch._

_Wesker slowly began inching backwards as the rushing air pulled him. There was nothing he could do as he was easily lifted into the air and jolted backwards. His back hit the railing Sheva had her arms wrapped around, causing him to flip and catch Sheva's ankle._

_Wesker was currently hanging over a wide open hatch that may or may not kill him if he fell from the height they were at._

_Sheva was struggling to hang on, looking desperately up at Chris who certainly wasn't struggling as much as she. Chris saw it- in one fleeting look from Sheva; He knew what she was going to do. She was going to let go._

"Chris?"

Chris was yelling, though he wasn't entirely sure why. The pain in his head, painful as it was, wasn't enough to warrant shouting as loudly as this. It took him a long few moments before the screaming turned into loud groaning and, by that time, Wesker was sitting beside him.

"Even when you aren't near me, you disturb my research, Christopher," Wesker sighed, his sunglasses sitting between his thumb and forefinger while his left hand pinched the bridge of his nose.

"S-Sorry to disturb you, Wesker," Chris hissed through gritted teeth as he struggled to sit up.

"Don't bother getting up. At this rate, you'll need to be brought back to the bedroom and I refuse to carry you," Wesker spoke outright before replacing his glasses.

"I'll be fine, I can walk," Chris muttered, his right palm pressed to his temple while his left pushed him into a sitting position. "Just go back to your research, I'm fine."

"You know better than to lie to me," Wesker sighed, standing and watching Chris closely as he attempted to push himself into a standing position.

"I'm not ly-" Chris faltered when he took a step, a large dizzy spell overtook him and the room spun. "Oh god."

Chris shut his eyes and when he opened them again, he was staring directly at Wesker. He was still standing though leaning into Wesker as the blond had caught him when he fell.

"You caught me," Chris muttered in realization, Wesker's arms secured around Chris's chest, holding him sideways with little trouble.

"Did you expect me to let you fall to the floor?" Wesker asked, assisting Chris to stand on his own.

"Well, yeah."

Chris straightened in his spot and when he was sure the light headedness was gone, he looked towards Wesker.

"Perhaps I should have simply let you fall considering I did advise against attempting to stand and, of course, you decided to ignore my warning."

"Do I have a reason to trust anything you say, Wesker?"

Wesker smirked.

"No, I suppose not."


	13. Alcohol

Despite everything that was said, Wesker waited with Chris until the brunet could stand without falling. They sat in silence for a while, Wesker leaning casually against a nearby wall and Chris sitting on a metallic bench. They were still in the shower room and, luckily, Chris was only without a shirt which was currently balled in his lap.

Chris was more shaken than anything. He wondered, now that the headache was gone and he was left to his thoughts, if Sheva actually let go; If she did, she surely wouldn't survive. From what Wesker had said, Sheva was simply unconscious- however, was Chris supposed to take his observation with a grain of salt or could he take his word for it? Suddenly, his entire focus shifted on whether his partner was still alive.

"You didn't have to stay," Chris said, breaking the silence. 

"I realize this," Wesker responded simply.

"Then why did you?"

"What have I told you about asking questions?"

"Oh come on. You can't tell me _that_ still applies."

"Indeed it does, Chris," Wesker said, a small smirk forming over his lips.

"So why did you stay?" Chris urged, causing a sigh and a scowl from the blond.

"Chris-"

"Fine," Chris muttered before standing. The brunet tossed his balled shirt onto the previously used bench and began towards the cupboard. Opening it, he took out the needed contents before closing it and walking towards one of the shower stalls. Setting them down on one of the convenient shelves, he turned on his heel and found Wesker staring at him- or at least looking towards his direction. "What?"

"Do you really think it wise to shower after having a fall like you did?"

"It wasn't that bad, Wesker. I'm sure I can handle a bit of water. I have lived through much worse, you know," Chris said half heartedly before vanishing into the changing room.

The B.S.A.A. member was rather shocked when the blond followed.

"Yes well this is a bit different, don't you agree?"

Chris sighed and sat on the bench near him, now suddenly feeling awkward about undressing with prying eyes watching. Waking up to see the blond sitting merely feet from him was, arguably, a welcoming sight and knowing that Wesker decided to stay simply to watch over the brunet made Chris smile somewhere on the inside. Perhaps this was why Chris couldn't tell if he was happy or exasperated that Wesker followed him into the changing room.

"Not really. An injury is an injury," Chris said with a bit of a shrug, eyeing Wesker expectantly as if a simple look was enough to cause the man to turn around.

It wasn't.

"Unfortunately, Christopher, most normal injuries aren't accompanied by possible brain damage," Wesker said matter-of-factly, leaning against the side of a row of lockers.

"You think I have brain damage? And could you turn around? I'd like to undress without you watching," Chris added the second question so quickly that it came out in a sort of mumble mess but Wesker heard it nonetheless and smirked.

"Severely painful headaches along with selective amnesia; Yes, you're correct Chris. I have no reason to believe you have possible brain damage- and no, I won't," Wesker stated before crossing his arms over his chest.

"Why not?" Chris exclaimed, standing up.

"I've seen your body before, have I not?" Wesker asked simply before slipping off his sunglasses and rubbing at the bridge of his nose again.

"B-But… This is different--" Chris said with a deep sigh. "And why do you keep doing that?"

"This is certainly no different than last night besides the reasoning for the removal of your clothing. And will you ever learn to not ask questions?" Wesker shot back wearily. "Do try to hurry. I have more research to conduct, you know."

"I'm not going to get undressed with you watching, Wesker," Chris said sternly, his arms crossing over his chest in a huff.

Without a response, the blond turned on his heel and left the room after replacing his glasses promptly back on his nose. Chris sighed happily and began to unbutton his pants. Before long, he had a towel wrapped around his otherwise exposed waist while his clothes sat thrown messily into the locker he used previously. Chris returned to the shower room where Wesker stood in his spot, leaned against a wall opposite the shower Chris planned on using.

The brunet shot the blond an apprehensive look before stepping into the stall and closing the curtain. He untied the towel from his waist and hung it over the side, where the stream of water wouldn't touch it. He started the shower and let his hand feel out the temperature before deciding it was adequate and stepping in himself.

"How is your research coming along?"

"Chris-"

"Oh come on, Wesker. I just want to know whether or not you'll be dying in a few weeks," Chris said loudly enough for Wesker to hear over the flow of the water.

"It's not a complete failure just yet. My attempts at making the serum stronger are working but not enough, unfortunately. PG67A/W is still the stronger of the two and continues to diminish my progress," Wesker called back.

"In other words-" Chris began, hoping Wesker would get the hint to make a summary that he could possibly understand.

"In other words, the serum that's being altered repairs the virus but once PG67A/W is administered, it damages it again," Wesker explained with a bit of exhaustion.

It was indescribably painful having to explain your oncoming demise over and over.

"Oh," was all that escaped from Chris. "Do you have any idea how you're going to keep stable after your month is up?"

"If you must know, I've been experimenting with the progressing serum. I'm trying to make the injections not only repair the virus but contain it as well. Rather than break it down, it could simply give it a limit," Wesker explained.

"What if that doesn't work?" Chris called as his hands began working shampoo into his hair.

"I have a backup plan, of course," Wesker said simply.

"Mind sharing?"

"I do mind, Chris. Are you finished with your questioning?"

"Not yet. Why can't you tell me?" Chris ran his hands through his hair, allowing the shampoo to rinse from his hair as Wesker responded.

"Don't ask questions you don't want to know the answer to," Wesker called.

"How will I know whether or not I want to know the answer if I don't know what it is?"

"Precisely. Are you finished?"

Chris let out a huff as he began lathering conditioner into his hair. As much as it bothered Wesker, asking questions was the only way to begin any sort of conversation with the blond. The man was difficult, hard to read, and stubborn but that's what made it fun to Chris. Sometime ago, back in S.T.A.R.S., the brunet had realized they shared several qualities. It was hard not to start seeing similarities in someone you worked with every day for two years. Though, back then, Chris was much easier to read; He wore his heart on his sleeve with his youth but that was quite a long time ago and he liked to believe that this changed with time.

"If you don't like my questioning, why don't you go back to your lab?" Chris called after a long few minutes of silence.

It was all just a game.

To Chris, it was a way of pushing Wesker. It was a bit nostalgic and the feeling drove Chris insane when he thought about it too long but it reminded him of S.T.A.R.S. Being able to push Wesker to annoyance without the brunette's life being threatened; it was nice.

To Wesker, it was many things; a game with high stakes was his favorite conclusion. The blond saw Chris' questioning as prying more than anything else. The brunet had always been meddlesome and found that if he wasn't always informed of a situation then something bad would happen. Chris never understood what a 'need-to-know basis' meant and Wesker sure as hell tried teaching him on multiple occasions.

Chris sighed contently after scrubbing off the remainder of the mess from the night before and realized Wesker hadn't answered. He shut off the tap and pulled the towel from the wall before wrapping it skillfully around his waist. Upon opening the curtain, he was surprised to see that he was quite alone in the large room. Frowning slightly, he removed himself from the stall and began back into the changing room.

* * *

" _Oh, come on Captain! Would it really be that awful hanging out with us for one night?"_

_Chris' question was quickly answered by the annoyed look on the blonde's face._

_Once a night a week, some of the S.T.A.R.S. members would gather and decide they want to go and have fun. Sometimes it was a poker night, sometimes it was movie night- tonight just happen to be bar night and Chris wanted Captain Wesker to accompany them._

" _I fear the situation would turn from your version of fun to me having to look after you lot as you all drink yourselves senseless. I would rather stay home," the captain shot back before turning away from the brunet to continue through the hallway. Despite it being the middle of the day, the police station was mostly empty; A woman sat behind the front desk and all R.P.D. officers were in their offices or gone._

" _Come on, Captain! Don't tell me you don't let loose every once and awhile," Chris continued, taking large strides in attempts to keep up with the older of the two._

_Wesker stopped, spun around, and flinched when Chris ran directly into him. Chris stumbled backwards, stammering quick and senseless apologies before Wesker cut him off with a response._

" _I don't, actually. I have far too much work to deal with and 'letting loose' as you say simply isn't a priority." Chris groaned at the rejection but just as Wesker turned on his heel to leave again, Chris jumped in front of the blond, his arms extended in front of him motioning for Wesker to wait. "What is it, Redfield? I have work to do and so do you, now that I think of it. Have you finished with-"_

" _Yeah yeah. Captain, just come with us. If you aren't having a good time, you can leave, but I think you should give us a chance. Don't you think our teamwork would benefit if we were friends outside of work?" Chris watched Wesker hopefully as the blond sighed and adjusted his glasses._

" _I suppose it could benefit. I'll attend your little… get together. Are you happy, Redfield?" Chris dropped his hands and a grin replaced the terror stricken face from before. "Good, now get back to work before I fire you just to avoid accompanying you lot," Wesker muttered before strolling around Chris._

_Hours later, Chris sat anxiously at J's Bar, surrounded by his coworkers. The attending S.T.A.R.S. team occupied two full tables. Where he sat, Jill, Barry, and Forest surrounded him while the opposing table sat Edward, Richard, and Brad. To Chris' left was an empty chair that he had saved for his Captain and to his right sat Jill who currently held a beer and was talking animatedly with Barry about weapons._

_Chris was the only silent one. The ordinary beer that sat in front of him remained untouched and his eyes kept flicking sadly from the door to the empty chair beside him. Every few minutes, the waitress, Cindy, would walk over and offer everyone a beer. They would all accept besides Chris who would kindly shake his head, give a weak smile, and return to his brooding._

_That was until he heard the door open and close over the loud chatter of the patrons._

" _Captain!" Most of the S.T.A.R.S. members shouted, raising their hands into the air to wave him over._

_Chris smirked as he saw Wesker's look of annoyance. Unlike most of the other members, Chris could sometimes tell Wesker's mood. He watched for subtle movements like the way Wesker's jaw clenched when he was angry or when his tight lips would purse when he was holding something back._

_Even without Chris to signal to him, Wesker went straight to Chris' side, seating himself in the empty chair, his eyes on the members at the other table._

" _What took you so long, Captain? I thought Chris was going to have an aneurism if you showed up any later," Jill said with a quiet laugh. Wesker's eyes traveled to Chris who immediately bit his lip and looked away, his eyes on the bartender across the room whom he knew as Will._

" _Oh is that so?" Wesker asked, his annoyance fading as his lips twitched into a smirk. "I had quite a few things to take care of and I probably wouldn't be here if someone hadn't insisted."_

" _Is there anything I can get for you?" Chris' eyes went from Will to Cindy. Her blond hair, bright eyes, and sincere smile all brightened the bleak surrounding of the bar and Chris couldn't help but smile back as she offered everyone a happy look._

" _Scotch, if you will?" Wesker responded simply as his eyes grazed over the beer that sat in front of every S.T.A.R.S. member._

" _Of course. I'll be back in a jiffy," Cindy said happily before prancing away to fetch the drink._

" _She's nice," Barry said with a smile as they watched her walk away._

" _Hey Chris, are you any good at darts?" Chris looked up to see Forest asking, a devilish smirk on his lips._

" _Not tonight, Forest," Chris said with a sigh._

_As much as he liked their friendly rivalry, Chris wasn't up to for anything at the moment. The sharpshooter had a nagging feeling that if he left Wesker alone, even for a second, the blond would grow bored and leave. After what he had done to get the man there, Chris wasn't going to let that happen._

" _I'll take you on, Forest. Come on," Jill said, giving Chris a suspicious look before standing and walking away with the marksman._

" _Here you go," Cindy said happily, setting the glass in front of the blond. "Just call me over if anyone needs anything."_

" _Thank you, Cindy," Barry said with a smile, which Cindy happily returned before leaving._

_As time went one, the situation began to grow awkward. Even when Jill returned, Forest beating her in the small competition, their table remained almost silent while the other flourished with great conversation. There was one point when a conversation erupted between Forest and Barry but it didn't last very long._

" _I think I'm going to go. I really don't like leaving Kathy to deal with Moira and Polly," Barry said, referring to his wife and children with a smile. He pulled out a bundle of money from his pocket, counted what he owed, and dropped it on the table. "I'll see you all on Monday," he called as everyone said their goodbyes._

_Slowly, one by one, each member got up and left. Soon, it was only Chris, Jill, Wesker, with Richard joining their table before he also left with Jill._

" _See you on Monday, Chris," Jill called with a wave before vanishing through the doorway behind Richard._

" _Well that was fun," Chris said apprehensively, eyeing Wesker who was on his third glass of scotch._

" _Right. As I said, your version of fun," Wesker said before standing and throwing down a bit of cash without bothering to count it. "Hope you had fun, Redfield. See you on Monday."_

" _I tried, didn't I?"_

" _Indeed you did," Wesker said with a quiet chuckle. "You'll understand if I ask you to never invite me to one of these gatherings again, won't you?"_

" _Yeah. Goodnight, Captain," Chris said sadly as Wesker began walking away._

" _Have a good night, Redfield," Wesker called before leaving._

_Once Wesker was gone, Chris sighed and leaned his forehead on the table, his hand wrapped around his semi empty glass while he sulked. The brunet had tried so hard to get the blond to have fun and let loose but all this did was prove that Wesker was right._

_And Wesker was always right._

When Chris came to, he was dressed and laying on the metal bench in the changing room. He vaguely remembered smirking as he began to reminisce and as soon as he was dressed, he decided to lay back and enjoy the memory. Little did he remember how the damn thing ended.

Sighing, Chris stood and was surprised to see Wesker standing in the doorway. Jumping slightly, Chris chuckled before speaking.

"How long have you been standing there?" He asked, his arms crossing over his chest almost self consciously.

"Long enough, I suppose. What were you thinking about?" Chris almost laughed at Wesker's question.

"Does it matter?"

"A bit." Wesker's response came as he stepped fully into the room and began progressing towards Chris.

"Uh-" Chris stammered at first before realize Wesker was walking towards the bench beside Chris. When Wesker sat, Chris found the words that had escaped him. "Why are you suddenly interested?"

"Chris, perhaps you should stop asking questions and begin to answer the ones already asked," Wesker suggested with a smirk. Chris sighed and leaned against the lockers nearest him, a hand cupping the back of his neck awkwardly as he fought the urge to be difficult.

"You won't remember it," Chris assured with a weak smile and a shake of his head.

"You don't know that," Wesker said simply, his gloved hand motioning for Chris to tell his thoughts.

"I was thinking about the time I talked you into coming with me to a S.T.A.R.S. hang out thing. I don't know why I thought of it but it was still a nice memory, I guess," Chris muttered before sighing in sadness.

"Nice memory for you, perhaps. I had to sit, for hours mind you, with people who I'd just spent the entire week with," Wesker shot back. "However, I do remember one thing that made the night interesting." Chris looked at the blond curiously before giving it a bit of thought.

"What… exactly made it interesting?" He asked after a few moments of failed recollection.

"Jill greeted me despite the fact that you were obviously anxiously awaiting my arrival. Once I did arrive, however, she was kind enough to inform me of just how anxious you were in my absence."

"I don't really see how that was interesting," Chris muttered as he clearly remembered his embarrassment from the situation.

"Yes well, I'm sure you are unaware, but after taking my departure- I thought it might be interesting to stay a while and look in on your brooding."

"I wasn't-"

"Yes you were. It's simply what you do, Chris, you brood. Do you realize how long you sat there and stared at my empty chair?" Chris merely shrugged. "Do you not remember?"

"What am I not remembering, Wesker?"

"I suppose you were too drunk to remember. That's a shame," the blond sighed with no intention to continue the story.

"I wasn't drunk- Alright, maybe a little by the end but you can't just not tell me, Wesker."

"Very well. That waitress.. The blond one-"

"Cindy."

"Right. She informed you of their closing and when you left, you made the decision to walk home; a decision I realize now to be rather good considering how drunk you apparently were. I offered you a ride home and you took the offer. You truly don't remember?"

Chris remembered now.

_Cold night air hit the brunette's warm face as he began walking the streets of Raccoon City. His hands were comfortably tucked into his jacket pockets though the jacket itself wasn't doing much good as he felt himself shiver against the cold air. His mind was in all sorts of shambles- why had he just spent hours sulking over this failed get together? Why had he been upset enough to have to drink away his sorrows?_

" _Redfield, what are you doing?"_

_Wesker's voice made him jump. Chris looked to his left and saw the blond sitting in the driver's seat of his running car looking through the passenger side window. The brunet didn't understand why his captain would still be out at this time of night let alone following him but there he was- waiting for him to answer an obvious question._

" _Walking home? Isn't that what you're supposed to do when you have too much to drink?"_

" _Just get in. I'll drive you home."_

" _I don't mind walking," Chris said hastily before continuing down the sidewalk, stumbling slightly at the quick pace. The last thing the brunet wanted was to have a ride home with his captain; though he wasn't sure why. It wasn't like anything bad had happened- perhaps it was Chris' alcohol induced mind making it all seem far worse than what it was._

" _Redfield," Wesker said threateningly as he had to slowly pull up to keep with Chris' motion. "It's cold out and you are, needless to say, drunk. Just get in the damn vehicle."_

_The S.T.A.R.S. member stopped and looked at Wesker who's patience was already gone. Sighing, Chris took a step forward and leaned into the window, his eyes on his captain._

" _You don't need to do this, Captain," he assured despite already feeling rather grateful he didn't have to deal with the cold night air any longer._

" _I know, Redfield. Just get in," the blond responded with a soft smirk._

_Chris obeyed and opened the passenger side door, slipping into the vehicle and closing the door beside him. He quickly buckled his seatbelt and was immediately overcome with the feeling of pure awkwardness between the two. Normally, Chris had a sense of tense comfort whenever he was around the blond but that feeling was quickly replaced._

_Silent minutes fell by before Chris actually got the nerve to speak-_

" _Your right. You ended up babysitting instead of having a good time like you should have been," Chris muttered as his head lulled back against the headrest._

" _I realize this. However, I knew what I was getting into when I agreed to attend."_

" _Oh come on, Captain. You know I pushed you into it when I shouldn't have. I'm sorry," the brunet sighed as he turned his head to the side to glance at Wesker._

" _Just don't attempt to bring me along again and all is forgiven. I believe these are your apartments. I trust you are able to find yours without my assistance," Wesker said as Chris realized they had stopped in front of his apartment building._

" _Right-" Chris unbuckled his seatbelt but stopped and turned to Wesker. "Captain, do you think I'll remember any of this?"_

" _Truthfully, no."_

" _Alright then."_

_Chris leaned into Wesker, his left hand snaking behind the blonde's neck to keep him still as their lips met. Chris took Wesker's top lip between his and moved against it gracefully yet somewhat sloppily due to the alcohol. Chris wasn't surprised when Wesker didn't kiss back but he was surprised when Wesker didn't do a thing to put him away. The one-sided kiss was incredibly brief and when Chris pulled away, he was smirking._

" _That never happened," he said simply, looking to Wesker for reassurance._

" _Of course," the blond complied._

" _Good night, Albert," Chris said as he removed himself from the car._

" _Good night, Chris."_


	14. Offer

It was nice. For once, Chris' mind was completely blank. The brunet sat on his knees in front of the bedside table while his eyes drifted out of the window. His arms were crossed in front of him, allowing him to lean on the table and set his chin promptly on one of his wrists. It was still daylight, though barely, and the sun was setting on the opposite side of the facility but the entire Savannah that spread for miles was bright orange, a sight that he found rather stunning.

Chris originally ended up in this position to think about Sheva and her current state or perhaps try to trigger more of the lost memory. Instead, the B.S.A.A member found himself entranced by the beauty of Africa. It was a sight. Even with the lack of animals and civilization, it didn't look empty; It looked untouched and pure- despite the random half built Tricell facility contaminating it all.

The sun began descending, slowly sending everything into deep shadows and pulling Chris from his trance. He was soon thrust back into his worry and guilt as his mind flip flopped back and forth between Sheva's safety and his developing relationship with Wesker (or whatever the hell it was).

Chris hadn't forgotten about Sheva, or Jill for that matter. His comfort in their whereabouts stemmed from reassurance given by his arch enemy and somehow it was enough. Everything was changed now that Chris saw Wesker grab onto Sheva's ankle and he saw the desperate look in her eye. The look that portrayed so much emotion; terror, surprise, submission, and most of all perseverance. Despite wanting to get out earlier in the mission, she knew what she was in for and she knew that if put into that position what she would do- and she was sure as hell about to do whatever it took.

Chris exhaled quietly and stood from his spot, his calves aching slightly as he stretched them before he made his way to the door. The hero knew where he was going but he couldn't deny the slight fear bubbling in his stomach.

Stepping across the hallway and through the automatic door, he wasn't surprised to find Wesker submerged in his work. He was standing, with his chair knocked back behind him, and several filled flasks in front of him. He was mixing each flask into three separate test tubes with a small eye dropper and, from Chris' position, was mixing them extremely carefully.

The brunet waited until Wesker set down the last of the test tubes and turned to look at Chris.

"I assume you're interrupting my work to converse about your newly unveiled memory," He said as he gave a fleeting look towards the setting test tubes. Sighing, he turned the chair behind him right side up and sat in it, motioning for Chris to sit beside him. "You have approximately ten minutes for the chemicals to bond and I suggest you speak quickly."

"Well, alright-" Chris felt rushed with the sudden time limit but, nonetheless, pushed for words. "- What exactly did you hear when I was having my… er.."

"Episode?" Chris sighed impatiently and nodded. "I heard enough to identify which moment you were remembering. Mind you, this isn't an enjoyable memory for me either. However, I believe your little recollection was shortened and you're sitting beside me to question the truth behind the wellbeing of your partner," Wesker's slightly accented voice made the whole statement sound accusing but Chris still nodded.

"Yeah, I suppose I am," Chris' response came in a bit of a disappointed whisper but he needed to know. He had a feeling, somewhere inside of him, that he would remember the rest of the scene eventually but he needed some sort of reassurance until then.

"She shot me and I let go. The accident happened and- the rest, I've already told you. She did not, however, fall with me. You will eventually remember the events but until then I refuse to waste time taking you through everything that occurred beyond that point."

"If you're telling me the truth then are you sure she was just unconscious when you saw her? Are you sure she wasn't-"

"Chris, if you aren't going to believe what I say then why bother asking?"

"Reassurance? Comfort? I just want to make sure she's okay. Is that so bad?"

Wesker smirked.

"No, I suppose not. It's simply…. Human," Wesker's eyes met Chris' behind his sunglasses but he quietly chuckled and turned away. "I remain with the answer I gave you days ago. If that answer isn't acceptable then I simply can't assist you."

Chris thought about it a long moment, his eyes on the beakers sitting on the table in front of Wesker. It was still difficult to sit and talk with the blond as if he wasn't his enemy but it seemed to come naturally. Chris no longer felt as if he had to have constant defenses up and he would almost push it to say he felt comfortable with him. However, was he really willing to push blindly believing his enemy? The self proclaimed God that was, just a few weeks ago, trying to take over the world?

"I guess that's an okay answer. You can't exactly be picky with answers when you only have one," Chris muttered as his hand rubbed at the back of his neck awkwardly, a habit he caught himself doing more often as of late.

"I assume that's all you wanted?" Wesker asked cautiously though Chris could practically see the hope for the end of their conversation in his tight lips.

"Yeah, sorry to disturb you," Chris muttered, his eyes flicking from the beakers to Wesker. Chris stood and slowly pushed in his chair, debating whether to even bring up the second topic he had haunting his mind. He took several steps towards the door, his lower lip between his teeth in contemplation.

"What is it, Chris?" Wesker asked in exasperation just as Chris reached the door. Turning, Chris eyed Wesker with a look of worry before sighing and rushing back to his seat.

"I just- Why didn't you ever bring it up?"

"Must you be so vague?" the blond asked, his thumb and forefinger moving to pinch the bridge of his nose under his glasses.

"Back in S.T.A.R.S. You never told me about that--that kiss," Chris muttered, his eyes falling as he suddenly became intrigued with the tile flooring.

"I assumed you wished it to remain forgotten. As you said, _it never happened_ ," Wesker replied simply, his gaze falling over the awkward Redfield.

"I don't even remember being that drunk. How could I forget it so easily?" Wesker sighed, more out of the fact that the two were still conversing on the topic, but decided to respond.

"It's rather simple to force yourself to forget things. Added with the effects of alcohol, I imagine without any sort of reminder to the events, your mind remained unaware and you remained content without knowing," Wesker's response did little to ease Chris and when the blond saw this, he continued. "Consider this, do you think anything would have changed if I had reminded you of the whole event?"

Chris merely shrugged causing Wesker to chuckle.

"Do you believe something would have perhaps flourished if I had?"

"I don't… I don't know. It's stupid to even think it would have but we don't know and that's what bothers me, I guess. I hate not knowing," Chris muttered as he sat on a nearby table, an audible groan escaping from Wesker.

"Chris, unlike you, I'm fully aware that nothing would have come from that alcohol induced kiss. My job was to uphold the façade of Captain of the team and I was not going to tolerate failure," Wesker spoke sternly in hopes of it being the end of the discussion.

It wasn't.

"Is that how you feel now? About what happened last night?"

"Chris, this conversation won't end well and both of us are fully aware of that. It would be in your best interest to avoid questions regarding the events of last night," Wesker spoke before turning to look at the flasks that were beginning to change color. "I do believe your time is up," Wesker stated as he stood and picked up the discarded eye dropper.

"Right-" Chris muttered as he slid off of the table and began sulking towards the doorway. Just as he stepped up to the door to cause it to open, Wesker's voice made him stop.

"Again tonight?"

It took a long moment for the brunet to realize it was a question.

"Uh what?" He asked, turning slightly to look back at the blond who remained focus on his task.

"I won't repeat myself," was his cold response.

Chris didn't need Wesker to repeat himself, he was fully aware of what the blond meant.

"Do you actually want to? I mean-"

"If I didn't, I wouldn't be offering," Chris could hear the smirk in his voice.

"Y-Yeah," was Chris' weak and lack of confidence response.

"Very well. I'll join you in a bit."

Wesker's nonchalant response came to a bit of a surprise to Chris. There was that lingering question of whether or not they would do anything again but he surely didn't expect Wesker to just come out and offer. It was odd but as Chris thought about it, he found it more intriguing and after long, he decided it was best not to question it.

Upon leaving, Chris gave a quiet response and returned to their bedroom. His bedroom? The brunet quickly gave up that thought battle and switched to what he was going to do while he waited for Wesker to finish his work.

Chris switched on a light and looked around the room with mixed feeling. It was awkward, even standing alone. What was he supposed to do until Wesker finished? Just sit around and be patient?

Shrugging to himself, he sighed and took a seat on the bed, looking over himself as he sat. He raked his fingers through his hair in a failed attempt to tidy it. After a few awkward moments of simply sitting, he decided he should probably get comfortable and relax a bit. Using both arms, he slid further into the bed, both legs sliding uselessly with his body until he was leaning against the headboard. The brunet sat forward slightly as he began messing with the pillows behind him, tossing some about the room while others repositioned. When he was content, he leaned back and jumped when the headboard hit the wall with a reverberating thump.

It was then when he began over analyzing his situation. Would that movement of the headboard become an issue as the night progressed? Should Chris turn out the light now or wait until Wesker arrived? Should he get undressed now or await Wesker? Why didn't he just say no?

He should have just said no.

It was wrong; everything was wrong. In fact, Chris couldn't find one thing about their arrangement that was right. Chris had feelings for the blond that were, quite clearly, not reciprocated and yet here he sat. Chris had, not one, but two lost partners out there somewhere searching for him or otherwise unknown; for all Chris knew they both assumed he was dead. Then there was the fact that he had feelings for his nemesis in the first place but he wasn't going to even begin to go down that confusing road again; it was too difficult for his mind to wrap around in the first place.

Yet, in all of Chris's thinking and pondering, he never asked the question that lingered. The question that he knew was there but avoided thinking about at all costs in attempts to avoid the answer.

Why the hell was Wesker doing any of this in the first place?

What does the blond gain from any of this besides the obvious sexual release?

Surely there had to be more behind it but the brunet had no logical answers to what it could be.

His thoughts were quickly jumbled as the blond entered the room, closing the door behind him. Chris quickly sat up, his ankles crossing awkwardly at the end of his extended legs while his eyes followed Wesker around the room. Without speaking, he began picking off his gloves, finger by finger, with his back turned to Chris. He turned on his heel, his gloves now sitting on the armchair, and began treading slowly to turn off the light.

When the light finally did switch off, Chris found himself blinded. His eyes were spotting in the darkness and with the lack of moonlight, the brunet was left blind. Quietly, he heard the sound of Wesker's glasses being set on the bedside table and soon after, the bed dipped to his left. Chris felt the bed dip again and the weight on the bed shift before his lips were suddenly colliding with the blonde's. As their jaws moved together, Wesker slipped a knee over Chris successfully straddling the brunet.

Chris took both motions by surprise and unexpectedly moaned into the kiss when he felt Wesker sit over him. A shiver jolted through the B.S.A.A member when he felt warm fingers press into his clothed sides, pulling and tugging at the bottom trim of his shirt playfully. Wesker chuckled quietly into the kiss and his fingers began progressing under the clothing. Slowly they crept up the sides of his waist before both hands met at the center of Chris' toned chest. Wesker's fingers continued to trace various muscles and lines blindly under the cloth while his tongue pushed to claim Chris' mouth.

The brunet gave no disobedience and was pleased when their tongued clashed and played before beginning to explore each other in depth. Wesker's tongue began poking at the tip of Chris' tongue at first before, skillfully, sliding over it and licking at the top underside of Chris' mouth. His tongue hit each bump gracefully before dipping back down and tangling it with Chris' again.

When Chris finally decided that he should keep his hands busy, he began to feel around for Wesker's body. Eventually, his right hand ghosted over warm skin and Chris came to the realization that Wesker had removed his shirt, and possibly other articles of clothing, when he turned out the light. Chris felt Wesker's lips tighten and his tongue stop as the brunette's fingers began gliding over the blonde's golden skin. Chris pulled from the frozen kiss, his hands stopping their motion but remained glued to Wesker.

"You can touch me but I can't touch you?" Chris asked impatiently as he panted for air.

"There's quite a difference," Wesker said, his hands removing themselves from Chris's chest until they found his hands. The blond pushed Chris's prying hands away and set them back on the sides of the bed before leaning back into the kiss.

His lips touched Chris's unexpectedly and Chris pulled away, his eyes glaring at the dark shadow that was Wesker.

"How is it different?" Chris asked, his hands tingling as Wesker released them.

"Chris, this is another conversation that will end badly-"

"Let it. Just because it'll end badly doesn't mean it should be avoided."

"Is now really the opportune moment for this?" Wesker didn't wait for Chris to respond before pushing for another kiss. This time, his right hand cupped Chris's neck while his thumb traced the brunette's jaw line which allowed Wesker to kiss Chris without him pulling away. After a long, hard kiss, Wesker pulled back ever so slightly, just enough for their lips to slightly be apart.

"I'm bringing it up after," Chris muttered before leaning his head up to reconnect their lips once again. The kiss was brief due to Chris pulling his shirt off and tossing it somewhere across the room. Their lips quickly reunited, melting together as Chris' hands kept busy with his pants. Wesker's right hand remained on the side of Chris' face while his left explored the newly unveiled skin.

Wesker broke the kiss when Chris was having trouble simply finding the tops of his pants due to all the different motions going on about him. Using his right hand, his thumb slowly began tracing Chris's jaw line until it met his chin where his middle and forefinger ghosted over Chris's parted lips. Without any sort of direction, Chris opened his mouth further and allowed Wesker to slide both fingers across the others' tongue. The brunet closed his lips around both digit and sucked them, assuming the action was meant as a sort of aphrodisiac to intensify Wesker's arousal- however, the blond had other ideas.

As soon as the sound of unzipping caught Wesker's ear, he smirked and immediately dove into action. Chris was, yet again, taken by surprise when the blond suddenly slipped his right hand out from between his lips to under both layers of cloth and met the partial arousal. A gasp escaped Chris' lips and Wesker took this chance to slide his tongue between the brunette's lips.

The villain's fingers skillfully wrapped around Chris' still covered length and slowly he began moving his fist. Wesker remained at a painfully slow but steady speed, his slick fingers worked Chris before suddenly shifting slightly. He continued pumping the brunet but he used his forefinger specifically to apply slick pressure to the underside of Chris' shaft as his hand pulled it down, causing the B.S.A.A. agent to moan out and grasp eagerly at the comforter beneath them. The brunette's head arched back when Wesker dragged the slick finger back up the underside of Chris then repeated the motion. When Wesker returned back to simply pumping Chris, the brunet was audibly panting and trying to catch his breath at the same time.

"W-Wesker-"

The skillful blond was able to wrack Chris with moans as he began twisting his wrist as he went down the brunette's member. To continue Chris' silence, Wesker quickened his pace and his grip tightened. The brunet moaned when Wesker's thumb brushed over his head, rubbing small circles on his corona before sliding back down, repeating the twisting motion and causing Chris to thrust up unexpectedly. Wesker used his weight to keep Chris' hips glued to the bed before speaking.

"Chris, slide out of our pants," Wesker commanded quietly as he continued at his steady pace.

Panting, Chris nodded into the darkness and began pushing his pants from both sides of his waist, shimmying his body in attempts to keep the cloth moving since he couldn't simply lift his body. When Chris felt cold air hit his member, he cursed under his breath and stopped trying to push the layers of cloth. Both layers were secured at his upper thigh and sat bunched underneath Wesker.

Wesker smirked and slid off of Chris unexpectedly, his hand ceasing to stroke the brunet as he sat comfortably on his knees.

"Turn onto your stomach," he said, watching Chris as he obeyed with a bit of a groan.

When Chris was on his stomach, Wesker positioned him so that he was sitting on his knees with his chest pressed into the bed and his head resting on a pillow. The B.S.A.A. member was blushing madly through the darkness now that his pants had fallen to his knees involuntarily and his backside was now exposed to both the darkness and Wesker.

Chris felt the bed shift and he felt weight behind him. As if to clarify his presence, Wesker placed both hands on Chris' exposed hips and his thumbs began rubbing circles on the exposed skin. Chris shifted uncomfortably at this motion as he didn't know how he felt to being touched so sensually by his enemy but the blond quickly stopped. The weight on the bed that was Wesker shifted again and this time, he was reaching from all the way behind Chris and extending his forefinger, middle, and ring finger to the brunet.

"Suck," Wesker's dark voice was enough to drive Chris over the edge but without any sort of stimulation- that wouldn't happen any time soon.

Chris obeyed and took all three into his mouth, his tongue glossing over each digit separately as he wet each to his best ability. When Wesker found it acceptable, he pulled his fingers back from the brunet and repositioned himself behind Chris. He maneuvered his fingers through the darkness, leaving a small trail of saliva across Chris' backside, until he found the small entrance of puckered skin that he was looking for. Chris let out a soft sound of disapproval before Wesker chuckled and pushed his forefinger through. Chris immediately tensed, his hands in fists around clutches of the pillow beneath him. His eyes squeezed closed and he stood as still as possible.

"Wesker I-I really wasn't expecting-" Chris began, the desperate wishes of the event to finish clear in his voice.

"Relax," Wesker urged quietly, his finger stopping at the knuckle as he awaited Chris to obey.

"W-Why should I?" The brunet asked rather breathlessly. "Why should I t-trust you?"

"You shouldn't, Chris. Perhaps you can use that faith that you claimed each of us had the other day, hm?" Wesker offered.

Chris sighed under his breath and obeyed, unclenching his body in attempts to relax. The stinging pain that was once there dissipated to just a slight discomfort and he exhaled shakily as Wesker continued to push his forefinger until the digit was completely sheathed.

Chris distantly wondered what this was meant to achieve and what Wesker's plans were but his mind immediately fell back into a haze when a second finger entered him. He clutched the pillow beneath him tighter as both fingers worked his insides. Just as Chris found himself relaxing into this strange position, Wesker's fingers pressed into the cluster that he knew as his prostate.

"Hah…" was all that escaped him before he buried his face into the pillow to muffle his moans. Wesker applied pressure with the pads of both his fingers as he rubbed the spot rhythmically. Chris tilted his head to the side for air and let out a low groan, panting from loss of air.

"Perhaps now would be a good time to touch yourself," Wesker offered, the deep accent lacing from his tongue and through Chris.

Blushing in the darkness, Chris obeyed and removed his hand from the clutches of his pillow. Reaching down between his raised thighs, he found his arousal. He bit his lip as a low whine escaped him and wrapped his fist carefully around the sensitive member. Slowly, he began pumping himself while fighting the urge to thrust into his own hand.

The blonde's free hand began exploring the hero, his fingers tracing hot and sweaty skin as they glazed over Chris' trembling hips. Chris could feel his knees weaken considerably with the sensual touches and it worsened when Wesker decided to insert the third, and hopefully last, digit. This action caused Chris to let out a groan of discomfort as the stinging pain from his backside returned. His hand completely froze despite the two fingers still rubbing at his prostate. It was a strange feeling and there was nothing in existence that he could compare both feelings of pain and pleasure coursing through his body. It wasn't until Wesker's free hand reached around Chris' hips, grabbed hold of the brunette's hand, and began forcing it to continue to move that Chris decided that the pain was worth the pleasure.

"There was a reason I told you to do that," Wesker spoke gruffly and continued guiding Chris' hand idly while the third finger joined the other digits massaging Chris' insides.

With the added pressure, Chris' head spun and he had to rest his forehead on his forearm to keep himself from burying himself into his pillow again. He was panting and couldn't help the moans and curses falling absentmindedly from his mouth. Finally, when Wesker's thumb pulled away from Chris' fingers to stroke up the underside of the brunette's arousal, Chris felt his stomach clench.

As Chris finished, he couldn't stop himself from bucking his hips into both his and Wesker's grasp. Wesker's digits were squeezed and pushed together by the sudden tightness and Chris' body physically shook as Wesker continued to abuse his insides until the brunette's seed finished spilling.

Wesker slipped his fingers from Chris' entrance and sat back to examine the dark, panting silhouette. Chris religiously fought the urge collapse on the spot but knew that would result in laying in the mess he just created on the comforter beneath him. The B.S.A.A. agent distantly felt the bed shift and knew Wesker had gotten up. He shielded himself when the door was opened and the light momentarily revealed the panting, sweaty mess that was Chris.

Wesker vanished from the room and the door closed again, giving Chris a chance to slide off the side of the bed. With nothing else to use, he wiped himself on the comforter before folding it over, pulling it off and tossing it, with little force, into the corner. The brunet quickly pulled up his pants and sat back onto the bed, his perspiring forehead quickly being wiped by his forearm.

Chris jumped when Wesker returned to the room and, for the first time since the light was shut off, he was able to see the blond. He was shirtless, the gold in his skin fading and making it an interesting color mixed between a pale peach and gold.

Wesker smirked at the jumpy brunet before shutting the door. Chris was, yet again, blind and was again startled when his lips collided with Wesker's. He accepted them, fully prepared to pay the actions back (most likely in another oral show but he hadn't planned it that far just yet). Before Chris was able to set hands on the blond, Wesker moved over him and disconnected the kiss. Chris frowned in confusion and watched the shadow lay beside him. Wesker was turned with his back to Chris but when he didn't feel Chris settle in, he rolled onto his back to look at the brunet.

"Is that it?" Chris asked quietly, his eyes scanning the darkness beside him for the blond.

"Was this not up to your expectations?" Wesker asked carefully, sitting up.

"Y-yes. I mean no. I just figured-" Chris was stumbling over his words and he was highly aware of his flushed cheeks. "I don't know. I thought you might want me to repay the- er- favor."

Wesker chuckled and Chris' cheeks flushed darker.

"Is that what you wish to do?" Wesker asked with intrigued interest.

"W-Well, I don't know-" Chris suddenly grew quiet but his eyes stayed on Wesker's figure as he felt suddenly glad that the blond couldn't see his face. "Y-Yeah. I guess I do."

"You don't sound very sure of yourself, Chris," Wesker taunted quietly, humor lacing his words.

"Wesker-" Chris groaned out, his head falling into his palms. "I-I'm sure."

"Very well. Tomorrow then," Wesker said simply before laying back.

"Tomorrow? Why not tonight?" Chris asked hastily as he turned on his side and began slowly melting into the bed.

"You're obviously exhausted and if you're going to repay me for what I just did, you'll need to be well rested," Wesker said with a small smirk though Chris missed it.

"Fair enough, I guess," Chris muttered, his head resting uneasily on his pillow. "Hey, Wesker?" The two words came in just above a whisper.

"Just do it, Chris," he muttered.

Chris bit his lip in excitement and he shuffled closer to the blond, his right arm draping over Wesker's stomach while Chris' head sat on his shoulder. He stayed as still as he possibly could for a long few minutes before Wesker's right arm wrapped around Chris and rested on his waist. Chris didn't know if this gesture was meant to relax him or if Wesker merely put it there because he wanted to.

Either way, Chris melted into Wesker and found himself asleep within a matter of moments.


	15. Lunch

Chris woke to find his chest pressed firmly into the back of his enemy; his arms were wrapped awkwardly around the blond, one caught underneath Wesker and going numb while the other around his waist. Chris went to pull them away when he realized the blond had his right hand tangled around Chris's interlocked hands and he suddenly didn't want to move ever again.

The lack of light told him they still had time to laze about until the inevitable time when Wesker would have to get up for his injections and he wouldn't return for an entire day of which Chris would have to find his own entertainment.

Chris looked down at the villain beneath him and found himself smiling through the darkness. The blond just looked so peaceful in a calm and unbothered sleep. His lips were comfortably together, his breathing was steadily deep, several pieces of hair lay scattered on his pillow and his eyes remained closed- Wesker just looked so damn human.

"Are you finished staring?"

Chris let out a soft noise in surprise and he retreated back to his pillow, his cheeks flushed.

"That was certainly manly," Wesker spoke with a bit of a smirk as he looked over his shoulder and saw Chris cowering on his pillow.

"I thought you were- er- asleep," He muttered and wished, more than anything, to get away but his arms were still trapped by Wesker.

"I'm well aware," Wesker stated before sitting up and releasing Chris's arms. The brunet simply pulled his arms against his pillow and watched Wesker reposition himself before laying back so that he was now facing Chris.

Chris' eyes stared into Wesker's, the green overshadowed in the darkness and making them look a dull and lifeless grey. Wesker stared right back, though his stare seemed a lot more haunting and it made Chris uneasy; however, this didn't stop him.

"Why didn't you let me touch you last night?" Chris asked quietly, his hands absentmindedly playing with the pillowcase beneath his head in attempt to calm his nerves.

"Partially to keep control of the situation," Wesker said with a smirk pulling at his lips.

"Partially? What's the other part?"

"Now, Chris. You know this-"

"I wouldn't be asking if I didn't want to know, Wesker," Chris' words came out slightly stern and were enough to cut the blond off.

"Alright. Do you recall our first sexual encounter?"

"The actual encounter or the tease session before it?"

"The latter, Chris."

"Yeah, I remember."

"Do you recall what I said?" Wesker asked and he saw Chris go into thought, his brown eyes shadowing as he got lost in thought.

At the time, Chris had been in a bit of a denial state and everything was hazy but words stuck out to him through his memories. He remembered a specific statement because it was far before he fell into Wesker's teasing clutches- a short amount of time where he was actually aware of his surroundings and of his lying denial of Wesker.

" _You will be mine, Chris," Wesker whispered, his lips brushing against Chris' ear while their chests pressed into each other._

" _What if I don't want it?" Chris asked, his arms raising in preparation to push the blond away._

"That's why you wouldn't let me touch you?"

Wesker chuckled, the same dark chuckle that reminded Chris that the blond was a villain under all their comfortable (and sexual) moments.

"I don't really get it."

"Then perhaps you should over-think it for hours until you somehow create an elaborate solution that is nowhere near correct. You're quite good at that," Wesker suggested.

"Maybe I will," Chris spoke in a bitter mutter.

The bitter look on his face was quickly replaced by a look of surprise as his lips were suddenly connected with Wesker's. His eyes closed almost immediately and, without any sort of hesitation, he began kissing back. It was a chaste kiss (if there was such a thing when it came to Wesker) and when the blond pulled back, Chris was utterly confused.

"What was that for, exactly?" He asked, his lower lip pulling between his teeth as he began biting it absentmindedly.

"Must there be a reason?" Wesker asked, his smirk visible through the shadows that concealed most of his face.

"With you, yeah," Chris muttered as he looked at Wesker cautiously, unsure of whether to smile or pursue the matter.

"I suppose that's correct. Are you considering going into deep thought about this as well, Chris?"

Chris huffed quietly though quickly grew lighthearted about the statement as he realized Wesker was actually being playful.

The brunet smirked and leaned forward, capturing the blonde's top lip between his. A soft moan escaped Chris when the villain pushed into the kiss and their bodies somehow became much closer and pressed together than they were just moments before. There was nothing sensual or innocent about the kiss- It was completely fueled by passion and wanton desire.

Chris knew, somewhere inside of him, it was wrong. It was wrong of him to be slipping his tongue into Wesker's awaiting mouth and it was wrong for him to find enjoyment when the blond teased him with his fingers as they grazed down his body. It was wrong for Chris, the hero, to want Wesker, the villain, as much as he did and it was far more wrong for Chris to be actually falling for the blond.

Chris played and replayed how wrong the situation was over in his head as he somehow kept getting farther lost in the kiss he was sharing with Wesker. They momentarily stopped for breaths before diving in again and, before long, Chris found himself on his back with Wesker over him. The blond was being supported by his right arm while his left explored Chris's chest.

Wesker pulled, just barely, away from Chris; Their lips lingered just inches apart and when the blond spoke, Chris could feel every breath that left Wesker.

"We haven't the time," the blond muttered, his left hand tracing lazy circled around Chris's pectoral muscles.

"I know," Chris mumbled before giving Wesker's lips another peck and smiling. "Can I ask you something?"

Wesker sighed and his left hand slowed but remained moving as he nodded.

"Why did you choose me? You had Excella Gionne in your grasp who was obviously interested and yet you killed her and kidnapped me. You probably could have had Jill-" Chris cut off as he realized it was best not to continue that idea. "My point is, why me?"

"Excella was simply useless. She had her uses, at the time, but did what she was told and only wanted power. It wouldn't have worked out," Wesker chuckled but continued. "And Jill was never meant to be a permanent situation."

"Neither is this, according to you," Chris shot, a bittersweet smile tugging at his lips.

"Yes, well, this seemed more-" Wesker glanced at the brunette's smile before finishing, "-stimulating."

Chris chuckled and shrugged in agreement. The brunet was expecting an answer like that but needed it nonetheless. It was as if he had to be reminded every once and a while that he was simply entertainment to a situation that would otherwise be rather unbearable for both of them. Wesker had no intention of pushing it farther than their little situation and they would never be (dare Chris even think it) _lovers_. They remained enemies.

"Stimulating is definitely the word for it," Chris muttered, his head repositioning on the pillow beneath him.

"I should be leaving," Wesker said as his fingers abruptly stopped their tracing and he sat up completely.

Chris looked past Wesker's sitting form to the window and sighed as dawn was approaching and the sun was beginning to shine streaks of orange through the window. Frowning, Chris sat up as well, sheets tangled around his legs preventing him from moving much as he watched Wesker slide from the bed and begin dressing.

"What else is that serum doing to you?" The brunet asked, watching Wesker pull on his black shirt and zip it until it enclosed snugly around his neck. The blond sighed and answered as he began pulling on his gloves.

"It's weakening my abilities. My speed, strength, accelerated healing- everything is weakened and is continuing to weaken. However, this morning should be a bit of a change." Chris heard the stiffness in Wesker's voice when he spoke of his weaknesses and noticed the sudden shift in voice when he was talking about improvements in the serum.

"I hope it goes well then," Chris said as Wesker rounded the bed to where the brunet sat.

Chris almost immediately found what he said to be highly ironic but ignored the thought.

Wesker leaned down and Chris strained up, catching the blonde's lips with his own before pulling away with a hiss of pain. A sharp ache had just jolted from his backside up his spine causing him to fall back into his sitting position.

"You didn't tell me it would hurt," Chris muttered, his eyes glaring to the blond who hovered over him with a look of amusement.

"I didn't expect it to. They were just fingers but without the proper-"

"Just go," Chris muttered, his head bowing in embarrassment.

"This is why I chose you, Chris. You are simply amusing," Wesker said, his forefinger curling under Chris' chin to force his head up. Once he was able to see into Chris's eyes, he leaned in for a kiss- bending just enough so that Chris didn't have to strain to kiss him back. It was quick, an apology in Chris' eyes and the fact that he'd kissed back meant Wesker was forgiven.

"Join me in the kitchen in two hours," Chris looked at Wesker in confusion but the blond merely chuckled darkly. "I trust I'll see you there?"

"Yeah, sure," Chris agreed, his smile unsure but sincere. "See you then."

Wesker turned on his heel and treaded out of the room, leaving Chris to sit tangled in the sheets with a stinging pain in his back. Chris laid back until his head touched the pillow once again. His back tensed momentarily as it fought the pain from shifting positions and before long, he was engrossed in his thoughts once again.

* * *

_It was as if the look in Sheva's eyes reminded him of Jill and in that one moment- a thousand things all flooded through Chris. In that one moment, he realized not only did he underestimate Sheva but if she was going to let go then so was he._

_And just as he predicted, with one fleeting look, Sheva let go. Her fingers unlatched themselves from the pole that she was just so desperately clinging to and then so did Chris._

" _NO!"_

_The brunet lunged forward, his arm outstretched. He ran forward, most of the gravity doing the work for him, and grabbed her outstretched hand. His right kept hold of the pole that she had just been clinging to while his left had just saved his partner. Wesker watched the two from his position and Chris looked quickly from the newly saved Sheva to the villain still latched onto her ankle._

" _I'm taking the two of you with me!" Wesker shouted, moving to grab Sheva's ankle with his other hand to secure his position though a quick kick from the woman quickly had him pulling his arm back so that he remained hanging with his right hand._

" _Like hell you will!" Sheva shouted back before reaching into her holster to grab onto her handgun._

_One closed ranged unavoidable shot and Wesker let go, falling into the giant open space that threatened to devour them all._

"Damnit!" Chris muttered under his breath as his expected splitting headache returned. He groaned quietly but was happy that, for once, he hadn't awoken to his own deafening yells. His palms rested on either side of his head protectively, his body curled into itself as he waited the pain to vanish.

Slowly, as always, the pain began dissipating and just when the headache turned minor, his head began spinning. He was tired of his mind only giving him bits and pieces of memories and he wasn't sure how much longer he could handle having to find out his past in parts.

Chris rolled over, his backside aching from the shift but the pain was dull and easy to ignore. His eyes fell on the window that was now showing bright streams of light through the glass and he couldn't hold the sigh that escaped him.

Sheva and Jill were out there somewhere- looking for him or trying to move on with their lives as they accept his fate or maybe fighting over whether he was alive or dead; Chris could only guess. The thought crossed his mind for the second time in days- what if they actually found him? What would he do if he was given the chance to escape Wesker? Would he take it?

Chris was truly unable to give himself a direct answer and he frowned, his eyes trailing away from the window.

More questions swam through his mind and he began questioning the 'what ifs' of his situation. What if Wesker's serum works and he gets his abilities back? What if Wesker isn't able to get the serum to work- what is his back up plan? What if Chris gets too far involved with Wesker?

The brunet released a quiet noise of disgust from his throat- he was tired of thinking; All it did was get him more answerless questions and that was the last thing he needed.

Chris sat up irritably and began untangling himself from the sheet around his legs. He ignored the dull pain in his backside while sliding from the bed and was able to, slowly, get his shirt on without too much trouble. The brunet quickly began out the door and towards the kitchen, running his hands through his hair to tidy it while also struggling to straighten out his clothing.

When he finally arrived at the kitchen, all Chris could think about was his current hate for Wesker who always seemed to look presentable- unlike himself who currently looked terrible.

The automatic door opened and Chris gaped at what he saw. The table was set with two empty plates, one on either side, and silverware beside each. Wesker was sitting on the countertop, his gaze on the stove which had several pots boiling and cooking things all at once.

"Chris, I told you to meet me here in two hours. It hasn't been nearly that long," Wesker said, his eyes flashing to Chris before returning to the cooking food.

"What-" Chris stumbled on his words as he walked into the kitchen, looking at the food cooking. One pot had a nice portion of corn setting in it while another had mashed potatoes. Beside that was gravy and the oven had some mysterious meat in it which, Chris assumed, was either chicken or turkey. "What?" He asked in confusion, unable to speak any other words.

"The original concept was suppose to be a bit of a surprise, I suppose, but now that you're here- Oh what is it, Christopher?" Wesker asked as the look of utter astonishment failed to leave Chris.

"I just- You… cook?"

Wesker returned Chris' astonishment with a bit of disbelief at the question before sliding from the counter.

"I have cooked multiple times in the past week, Chris. Do you not recall?"

"Well yeah, I remember but I didn't know you actually knew how to cook. I guess I just couldn't imagine you… cooking," Chris' last word came rather slowly as if he was still trying to process the situation but Wesker turned away from him and continued speaking.

"If you had any sort of intelligence, you would see that chemistry and cooking are similar. Lest we forget, I lived alone in S.T.A.R.S and frequently cooked for myself and guests." The annoyance had returned in Wesker's voice and he was now talking as if he was speaking to a two year old.

"You had guests?"

Chris realized his questions probably weren't helping the matter but they slipped out as if he had no real control over what he said.

"I worked for a multi-million dollar company that specialized specifically in work that was being kept from the public- most of which I was head of. Of _course_ I had guests. Rather frequently now that I think about it," Wesker muttered as he stirred at the gravy absentmindedly.

"I don't think I ever got to see where you lived, actually," Chris said, pondering the moment as he also contemplated approaching Wesker.

"You did. Though it was a rather unpleasant experience so I doubt you would remember-"

"No, wait- I do remember. I was stabbed, I'd think I would remember that, Wesker," Chris muttered before, slowly, walking up behind the blond to look curiously over his shoulder.

_It was his fault- It was always his fault._

_Chris had followed orders, step by step, and still somehow- the brunet had screwed up._

_The case was simple. High amounts of Umbrella's unsafe medication trafficking through Raccoon City and their job was to stop it. With some recon, Brad had secured the location and given various details on what he'd seen from just looking in on the operation. According to Umbrella, large stocks of supplies had started going missing recently and most of them had been untested medication for pain management- But even now, Chris wasn't sure if he believed that._

_Umbrella was a large corporation with massive amounts of power- stealing from them would not be easy._

_The team got into position; Chris, Wesker, and Jill all crowded around the back door of a small abandoned house, Chris and Jill to one side with Wesker to the other. Behind them was Barry and Forest while the rest of Bravo team spread out around the house to cover all possible exits and entrances. While Jill worked at the lock on the back door, Brad was working on opening the front door with Kenneth._

_Jill turned to Wesker and nodded through the darkness before kneeling out of the way._

_Wesker nodded to Chris who had been assigned pointman on the mission- a position he was best at due to his sharpshooting skills. Kenneth was the pointman on the other side of the house and once they'd gotten radio confirmation of Bravo being ready, they infiltrated._

_Chris barely remembered the next few moments and it was all hazy in general to the brunet; He remembered shouting, most likely not his own, and he remembered Brad being wrong. Very, very wrong._

_According to the pilot, there were a maximum of five guys- when S.T.A.R.S entered, there were far too many to count. Also according to Brad, none of the men were armed- They all now had various weapons at the ready._

_When the group had first infiltrated, the inhabitants of the house were nowhere to be seen. Chris searched, with Wesker close behind him, Jill somewhere nearby, and eventually Kenneth, who was accompanied by Brad, and found they'd cleared the entire floor._

_And then they found the basement._

_Wesker was the first to spot the door- sitting perfectly hinged and looking rather new compared to the rest of the crumbling building. He motioned to it and, before long, the entire team was staring at it with puzzled looks on their faces. They all had their handguns raised, flashlights pointed at the metallic door._

_Wesker signaled Kenneth to go first, then Chris, and the rest would follow. Chris looked to the Bravo pointman before nodding. Chris watched Kenneth approach the door, handgun raised while the hand that held his flashlight grabbed the doorknob, twisted, and pulled. Quickly, both he and Chris pointed their lights down the pitch dark stairs and the beams of light showed little of what lay beyond halfway. Kenneth took a deep breath and began descending the stairs, Chris close behind him with Wesker tailing him._

_As soon as the group reached the bottom of the stairs, yells began and shots rang out. Whose they were, where they were aimed, what they hit- nobody knew. All Chris remembers was Kenneth suddenly being gone and, directly after, being disarmed. Quickly, the brunet pulled out his S.T.A.R.S knife and was able to block whatever oncoming melee attack was coming at him. Darkness had surrounded all of them and the only one with any sort of light was Brad at the top of the stairs who had stopped dead when he heard all the fighting._

_Chris, being unable to see his attacker, slashed in the darkness, backing up slowly as he tried forcefully to get his eyes to adjust to the shadows. Suddenly, one of his slashes hit something and his knife was knocked from his hand. His heart dropped when he heard it land somewhere at his feet and just as he bent down to retrieve it, a stabbing pain was jolted into his right thigh._

_He yelled out in pain, punching the air and subsequently hitting the shadow silhouette knelt in front of him. The moments after that were a blurred haze- he vaguely recalled Wesker retrieving a flashlight and being able to take out the remainder of the men with the help of Jill who was the only one who wasn't incapacitated. Kenneth had been shot, though only in the arm, and Chris stabbed._

_Wesker told Jill to take Kenneth to a hospital before hurrying to Chris to look at the wound. Chris had slid himself against a nearby wall, both hands holding his thigh protectively and he bit back groans of pain. Wesker slid beside him, flashlight raised to the wound before looking to Chris._

" _Are you injured anywhere else?"_

_Chris shook his head quickly before eying his wound in the light. Blood had started to seep through his pants but, from the looks of it, the knife itself hadn't gone too deep into his leg._

" _Is Kenneth-?" Chris began through gritted teeth as Wesker assessed the situation._

" _He's fine. Focus on yourself right now," the blond muttered._

_The wound itself was just below Chris's gun holster which was buckled onto his upper thigh. Wesker grabbed hold of the extra adjusting piece before yanking it tightly, causing Chris to yelp out and grab tighter at his thigh._

" _I'm going to pull out the knife," Wesker warned though he didn't wait for a response before pulling the weapon straight out. Chris let out a vocal shout of pain, his head hitting the wall behind him. He cursed under his breath and Wesker quickly replaced the knife in Chris's knife pouch. "Right, now we have to get you back to my apartment."_

" _Your ap- Wait, why not just take me to the hospital?"_

" _The wound doesn't require stitches. A bit of cleaning, a bandage, a few days to heal and you'll be fine," Wesker said as he began standing. "Come on, I'll assist you to the car."_

_By the time Wesker was able to get Chris up the stairs, Jill and Enrico had both taken Kenneth to the hospital while the remainder of the team was awaiting orders from Wesker. Once Barry saw Chris, he immediately dove forward and began helping get the brunet into Wesker's vehicle._

" _I want all of you to call in the R.P.D. They'll need to report this before we do and they might as well get the drugs back to Umbrella while they're at it. Vickers, first thing tomorrow morning, I want to see you in my office," a look of impending doom appeared on Brad's face before Wesker dismissed them and slid into the driver's seat._

" _You shouldn't be so hard on him, Captain," Chris gritted out quietly, both hands holding his leg as if to comfort it with his touch. "It was my fault."_

" _It wasn't. His position was back up and he proved to be utterly useless. His fear caused two members to get critically injured and that will not go unpunished," Wesker said matter-of-factly, his eyes flashing from the road to Chris's leg behind his sunglasses._

" _Captain, you and I both know he's good at what he was hired to do. This wasn't in his job description," Chris said quietly. "This was my fault. I got disoriented too fast and a moment of panic was enough to unarm me."_

" _Redfield, you care far too much," the blond sighed._

" _Isn't that a good thing? To care about a team member?" Chris gritted, looking at Wesker with a mix of confusion and pain._

" _In some cases, yes."_

_Chris didn't pursue the conversation any farther and instead, focused on the apartments that Wesker had just pulled them into. Wesker stopped at the front of a gate that led to an underground garage, rolled down his window, and punched in a code. As Wesker rolled his window back up, the gate began opening and he drove into the parking area. Wesker parked in a spot that was reserved specifically for him (it had the letters A. Wesker printed on the ground) and it just happen to be the closest to the elevator that led to the rest of the apartment complex._

_Wesker parked and quickly got out, closing the door and rushing around to the other side to help Chris out. Chris was able to get out with ease, his arm around Wesker's neck for support on his right side while Wesker gripped him by the left side of his waist. They made their way to the elevator, Chris fighting off the look of embarrassment and pain as Wesker poked at the call button._

_The duo waited in silence, Chris letting out a silent gasp of pain every once and a while until the elevator opened revealing a rather large, empty lift. Wesker helped him inside and leaned him against the wall as he poked the second floor out of six._

_The elevator door closed and the lift jolted up into movement, causing Chris to cling to the small railing and bite back a groan of pain. Wesker put his arm around Chris as the door opened again and Chris returned to his position as they began moving slowly out._

_The lift had opened to a large floor, a long hallway leading both ways past the elevator. The carpet had a royal pattern all throughout it with different sorts of colors while the walls were wallpaper white. Wesker went straight and led them to the door with blue lettering that read '14B'. The blond shoved a key into the lock and turned it with ease, kicking it open and revealing a large dark apartment. Wesker closed the door as he led them through the darkness., Chris clinging to his side, trusting that the man knew where he was going._

_After a few steps, Wesker began prying Chris off of him, pushing him to sit down and the brunet found himself sitting on a rather comfortable seat- a couch perhaps?_

" _Wouldn't it have been easier to just take me to the hospital?" Chris asked, looking around the darkness before Wesker flipped on a light from across the room._

_They were currently in the living room of the apartment. Chris was sitting on a black couch, a rather large one at that, which sat in front of a large television and between the two objects was a coffee table. A side table beside the couch had the lamp that was currently lit sitting atop it while the walls and corner bookshelf remained empty of any sort of decoration or personal pictures._

" _Easier, yes. Faster, no. I'll be back. If you wish, you can turn on the television- It should be used by someone, at least," the blond muttered before vanishing into a hallway to the left of Chris._

_The brunet sighed and grabbed the remote from the table, straining to make sure he didn't shift to hurt his leg. He hit the 'on' button and the television sprang to life. The brunet subconsciously decided he wanted to use the television as background noise so that he wasn't sitting in silence and left it on the channel it had turned on to, merely turning the electronic device down until he could barely hear it through the dead silence. He set the remote back on the table and watched it, realizing it was some sort of old show from the fifties- the exact type you'd assume to see in the middle of the night._

_Wesker returned shortly after, a handful of supplied in his arms. He set the lot on the table and looked at Chris expectantly as the brunet looked from the small pile to the blond._

" _Well?"_

" _Well, what?" Chris asked, his hand setting on his thigh protectively._

" _I won't be able to tend the wound through your pants. Either remove them or I'll cut them," Wesker stated and Chris went into serious thought about it before Wesker sighed and sat on the floor._

" _Fine," Chris muttered, loosening the gunless holster before he was able to slip it off and set it beside him. He kicked off his military boots, Wesker grabbing them and putting them aside, before he stood, unstable but upright, and began unbuttoning his pants. He slipped them off, revealing blue boxers, and Wesker waited for him to sit again before looking at the wound. Dried blood stained Chris's pale skin but new blood was beginning to drip from the wound and down his leg before being stopped by a cloth that Wesker hurriedly handed to him._

" _I'll have to disinfect it first," He spoke up to Chris as he grabbed the can of first aid spray and a small bunch of cotton balls._

" _Great," Chris muttered as he watched Wesker shake the can and ready it over the brunette's thigh. "Just do it."_

_Wesker obeyed and pressed on the sprayer. It hit Chris's wound before it began bubbling and causing the brunet to let out a muffled groan, closing his eyes. Wesker sprayed more of the liquid onto the wound before covering it with the cotton balls, catching any loose blood or liquid that was deciding to drip._

" _That should do it," Wesker said after a few more times to make sure it was clean. A glance up at the brunet was enough for the blond to ask, "Are you alright, Christopher?"_

" _M'fine," Chris gritted out. It took everything in his power to keep his leg still while Wesker worked on it and he was somehow able to keep silent yells in his head from escaping his lips. "Can you just wrap it up?"_

_Wesker responded with a nod and grabbed the roll of cotton. Chris stood, his entire leg shaking from the amount of pain it just endured and he held the beginning of the bandage as Wesker quickly wrapped it around. Eventually, Chris was able to slide his finger out and Wesker ended off the bandage with a bit of medical tape. Chris fell back onto the couch, his leg still shaking uncontrollably._

" _You might as well stay here. I'll take you home in the morning and let you have the next few days off to heal."_

" _You really shouldn't be doing this, Captain. Sorry to- er- inconvenience you like this," Chris said awkwardly, his eyes avoiding Wesker's._

" _If it was indeed an inconvenience, I wouldn't have offered. I'll return when I've gathered a blanket and pillow," Wesker said before grabbing the supplies from the table and vanishing into the hallway._

_The following day, Chris woke to Wesker gone and a note on the coffee table that read:_

' _You looked comfortable, for once. I'll be back at noon with lunch, sleep as long as you like. I'll return you home when you can care for yourself.'_

"You can't say that wasn't a fun few days," Chris said as he began stirring the mashed potatoes as per request of the blond.

"Indeed I can. You camped yourself in my living room for four days and inconvenienced my work greatly," Wesker stated as he emptied the gravy into a small bowl and set it on the table.

"Your work. You mean your undercover betrayal job you had going with Umbrella? Besides, you're the one who refused to take me home," Chris shot as he decided the mashed potatoes were done and turned off the burner before emptying the pot into a serving dish, placing it beside the gravy on the table.

"If I had, you would have been terribly helpless and I most likely would have ended up there caring for you anyway," Wesker replied, opening the oven and sliding out a small chicken with the help of a rag. He set the plate of chicken on the table before rushing back and closing the oven.

"I would have called Jill to come care for me if you had taken me home, Wesker. We both know that," Chris said with a quiet laugh.

"Perhaps," Wesker said with a smirk as he placed the corn in a bowl and put it beside the mashed potatoes.

Chris quickly placed all the pots into the sink before joining Wesker at the table. The brunet sat awkwardly, staring at the food as if he was afraid to touch it.

"You know, I like memories like that," Chris said quietly as Wesker stared at him from across the table, bowl of corn in hand.

"I realize this, Chris. You live far too much in the past, you know," The blond responded, setting down the bowl to cut off a few pieces of chicken.

"It's hard to live in the present when the present is this bad," Chris shot back, standing up to reach the mashed potatoes before sliding a considerable amount on his plate- He hadn't realized how hungry he was until now.

"Your current present doesn't seem as bad as you say, Christopher," Wesker spoke smugly as Chris slid him what was left of the mashed potatoes before getting up to slide both the corn and chicken over to himself.

"There's equal amount of pros and cons to this situation, Wesker," Chris said as he retook his seat.

"Oh really? Enlighten me," the blond responded, his smirk returning as he completely ignored his food and, instead, leaned his elbow on the table, his chin resting on his fist.

"Wesker-" Chris said threateningly, his eyes narrowing at the blond.

"Alright, I'll begin," Chris sighed at Wesker's words and he dumped a small amount of corn on his plate. "Pro- me."

"Con- you."

"I'm not simply your enemy here, Chris," Wesker said smugly, his free hand picking up his fork to poke at his food.

"Which is why you fall under both categories," Chris explained as he took off several pieces of chicken and poured gravy on the potatoes.

"Pro-"

"No. No more, Wesker," Chris said quickly. "Talk about _anything_ else."

"Alright," Wesker smirked and set down his fork, looking at Chris mischievously before asking, "What do you plan on doing to me later? I'm assuming you haven't forgotten that you owe me for last night."

Chris didn't know if he wanted to laugh or run, even though he probably couldn't if he tried.


	16. Information

"What is your back up plan if you're not able to remake PG67A/W?" Chris asked before taking a bite of mashed potatoes.

The brunet had already scolded the blond on bringing up the prior topic simply to throw Chris off. Wesker simply chuckled, nodded, and allowed Chris to continue with his mission of keeping up some sort of conversation between them- Until now.

"Why must you be so inquisitive?" The blond asked, taking a bit of his food as well, though mostly out of annoyance. "You are the reason I despise questions, you know."

"What?"

"You are stubborn and never seem to be satisfied with answers when they are given- Exactly as you were in S.T.A.R.S," Wesker spoke seriously but took another bite nonetheless.

"You realize that I was never satisfied with answers because you never told me the truth?" Chris asked, poking and prodding at his food as if he would rather have conversation with the blond than eat.

"And you realize that I kept you on a strict need-to-know basis and as I intend to keep you now," Wesker said truthfully though it was a statement rather than a question.

"You don't think your backup plan is something I need to know? Really?"

Wesker stopped eating, his hand remaining on his fork absentmindedly as he looked at Chris in consideration.

"Perhaps-" He began, dropping the utensil, "- You're right."

"I am?"

"Indeed. However, before I inform you of the situation, you must be completely positive that you-"

"Wesker, if you're asking if I'm sure I want to know the severity of the situation then you must be insane if you think I'm going to say no," Chris said seriously, dropping his fork as well. "Tell me everything."

"Not everything, Chris. Simply what you need to know," Wesker exhaled heavily before interlocking his gloved fingers and setting them in front of him, directly in front of his plate. "First of all, you should be aware- I'm mixing T-Virus samples with my blood and PG67A/W. This is the new serum concoction that's been supposedly trying to help the progenitor virus."

"Are you kidding? I knew it was ridiculous that you were experimenting on yourself but mixing more of the T-Virus- Do you realize-"

"I'm well aware of the dangers, Christopher. This is why I mixed the T-Virus samples with my blood beforehand. This is what you saw yesterday, different combinations of different amounts of each substance- and one may have worked. I suppose we shall see in the coming days as I have begun injections this morning," Wesker finished and Chris stared at him for a long moment before simply nodding.

"Alright, and if that doesn't work? What if you have to refer to your backup plan, whatever that may be?"

"I'm attempting to avoid that outcome at all costs, Christopher, as you can imagine. I would rather not end up dead, as it is. However-"

"That's your backup plan? I kill you?" Chris was beginning to lose his appetite.

"Not exactly but you _are_ on a need-to-know basis so I would rather not-"

"I would think that knowing if I need to kill you or not qualifies until that category, Wesker," Chris snapped, sitting back in his chair out of annoyance.

"Indeed, which is why I told you. You won't need to kill me. Are you satisfied?"

Chris opened his mouth to angrily oppose but stopped mid breath and exhaled slowly instead.

"Yeah, I guess that's enough for now. I hope you know I'll keep pushing for answers, though," Chris spoke as he picked up his eating utensil again.

"I wouldn't expect any less," Wesker said simply before retuning to his eating as well.

"You know, you really had me panicked there for a moment," Chris said carefully, eyeing Wesker slowly.

Wesker looked back at him, his head tilted slightly.

"Mind elaborating?"

"I thought your backup plan was me having to kill you. I panicked," Chris said the latter part slowly with a deep exhale as his eyes went back to his plate.

"Why is that? You didn't seem to have much of an issue several weeks ago when you shot a rocket in my face- I trust you remember that much, at least?"

"Unfortunately," Chris muttered. "But you already knew I remembered that and you also know exactly why I would find it hard to kill you."

Wesker smirked, Chris could tell from without even looking at the blond.

"I suppose you're right- I am well aware of both situations. However, I imagine it would be more intriguing for you to vocally express your trouble," Wesker was definitely smirking, Chris could hear the dark chuckle just behind his words. This was entertaining for him.

"I'm not going to," Chris said sternly, glancing up at the villain across the table.

_I refuse to admit my ridiculous feelings. I won't give you that. I won't let you turn it into a game._

"Stubborn," Wesker's lips pulled into a brighter smirk. "You make me proud."

"Because that's clearly what my life purpose is- to make the notorious villain, Albert Wesker, proud," Chris snapped- if he didn't know better, it was almost playful.

"I simply mean perhaps you're learning; Outwardly expressing feelings more often than naught doesn't end well for you. Perhaps you've finally realized that doing such things reveals vulnerabilities that can easily be hidden," Wesker said before pulling his attention away from the brunet to take another bite of food.

"I'll keep that in mind," Chris said quietly, though he couldn't help but feel as if this was Wesker's way of giving him serious advice.

Wesker's way of things always seemed the most difficult so Chris assumed he was right but didn't vocally announce it and continued with conversation. In the past week, Chris had come to find that Wesker could actually be helpful, playful, and somewhat possessive- It excited the brunet knowing there was, most likely, much more to be found out about Albert Wesker.

"Earlier-" Wesker's voice pulled Chris from his musings. "- When I informed you of my current status concerning my abilities. Your response was…." The blond paused and Chris held back a smile. "Unexpected."

" _What else is that serum doing to you?" The brunet asked, watching Wesker pull on his back shirt and zip it until it enclosed snugly around his neck. The blond sighed and answered as he began pulling on his gloves._

" _It's weakening my abilities. My speed, strength, accelerated healing- everything is weakened and is continuing to weak. However, this morning should be a bit of a change." Chris heard the stiffness in Wesker's voice when he spoke of his weaknesses and noticed the sudden shift in voice when he was talking about improvements in the serum._

" _I hope it all goes well then."_

Chris had hoped it went well- for many different reasons.

"Was it?" Chris asked. "I just said what I felt like I should. It felt right to say; What's unexpected about that?"

"Must I go into a full explanation?"

"Sure because our current _stimulating situation_ makes so much sense especially considering we are who we are," Chris said with a bitter chuckle. "Face it, Wesker. This entire situation is screwed up, complicated, and in no way going to end well. We both know that so why was a simple 'I hope it goes well' statement unexpected?"

"I suppose, taking in consideration our current arrangement, you may be correct," Wesker said slowly.

"I'm right again, huh? That's a first," Chris laughed.

Chris wasn't suppose to be right- That was Wesker's job.

"It's not as if you're never right, you just happen to be, more often than not, wrong," Wesker spoke smugly, pushing around corn on his plate while he looked at Chris.

"Right, thanks for that," Chris muttered before taking another bite of food, rather aggressively. Wesker simply chuckled but remained silent beyond that as he continued taking bites of food. Chris took this chance to ask another question- "Are you in contact with anyone outside of this facility?"

"Now, Chris. Do you really believe that is information that you need to know?" Chris hated Wesker's tone a voice and couldn't stop himself from rolling his eyes.

"For personal reasons, yes," Chris responded.

Wesker looked at him, the shadow of a smirk lingering on his lips before he slowly, and subtly, gave a curt nod.

"No, I'm not currently in contact with anyone outside of this facility, Tricell affiliated or not. I suppose this puts your worries at ease?"

"Not really. Knowing you, Wesker, world domination would still be easy to come by without a giant evil corporation backing you," Chris spoke with a sigh.

"Interesting."

"What's interesting?" Chris asked after a long moment of staring at the blond.

"You-" Wesker paused and chuckled. "-still believing I have any sort of interest in world domination. You realize my priorities have shifted?" It was a question that Chris truly didn't see coming and when it did, he simply shrugged.

"I guess but that doesn't mean you won't turn around and try to take over the world again. You're too stubborn to just accept that the world isn't meant to be ruled," Chris's sadness laced his words as if he knew that, most likely sometime soon, he would have to return to his mission of defeating Wesker simply because the blond couldn't leave well enough alone.

"Am I? That's rather interesting to hear, Chris. I appreciate the perspective, I must say," The brunet looked at the blond in confusion who merely returned to eating the last of his meal before standing. "This has been rather entertaining," Wesker spoke as he set his dish in the sink, along with many of the pots they used to cook. "However, I must return to my research."

The blond began for the door but the brunet called his name.

"Can I ask one more thing?" He asked quietly, hesitance shaking his nerves.

"If you must," Wesker responded, turning on his heel to face the brunet.

"If Sheva or Jill randomly showed up to rescue me-" Chris began, his eyes shifting to his fingernails beneath the table as he picked at them awkwardly. "-Would you let me go?"

Wesker froze, his eyes narrowing slightly as he glanced over Chris, the brunet feeling his gaze sweep over him like a wave; it was both chilling and pleasurable but he wasn't sure if he liked it.

"Before I answer, I must ask- Would you leave if tempted?" Chris looked up slowly and met Wesker's serious eyes. Chris was, quite obviously, trying to respond. His mouth was open and he inhaled but no words were spoken. He merely gave up and closed his mouth, looking at the blond expectedly as if he had the answers he was seeking. "When you are able to answer my question, I'll answer yours. I'll see you tonight," Wesker said before making a swift exit.

Chris watched the door slide close and he groaned.

Not only was he completely clueless on what he wanted to do that night for Wesker but now he was seriously taking in consideration whether or not he would leave if prompted.

* * *

After cleaning the kitchen, a chore Chris found himself doing simply to keep distracted, the brunet found himself sitting in the locker room. He wasn't entire sure why he was sitting all the way in the back of the room when he could be on his- _their?_ \- comfortable bed, but he was. Was he hiding or did he just feel he needed a new surrounding?

Chris had no idea- Hell, Wesker probably knew better than him and the blond wasn't even here.

"Christopher?"

_Convenient._

"Back here," Chris muttered after a long moment of considering whether he should respond or stay silent.

Echoing footsteps caught Chris's ear before Wesker looked around a set of lockers to find Chris laying on the bench, one leg resting on the floor. He glanced awkwardly up at Wesker before laying back, his eyes on the blindingly white ceiling. Wesker had replaced his glasses and held a subtle grimace but seemed normal nonetheless.

"You seem rather-" Wesker looked over the brunet before shrugging. "-distracted."

"What do you want?" Chris asked, though he sounded more tired than angry and Wesker noted it.

"I was simply curious as to where you'd run off to. You are considered my prisoner, after all," Wesker spoke rather smugly before leaning his right side against a nearby locker, his arms crossing.

"Do you consider me a prisoner?" the brunet asked, sitting up and letting both feet rest on the ground.

"In certain aspects, I suppose. However, the very definition defies the question and thus I can't say you're physically my prisoner."

Chris let the words sink in, his eyes on Wesker before he shrugged in understanding. He knew the different definitions of the word prisoner all too well and knew exactly what the blond was referring to.

_A person who is or feels confined or trapped by a situation or set of circumstances._

Yup, that was the one.

"I was just here thinking," Chris spoke truthfully, looking up at the blond with a bit of a somber smile.

"Do you mind elaborating?"

"Is it too difficult for you to ask 'what are you thinking'?" Chris asked with a bit of a laugh.

"Indeed. Stop deflecting," Wesker spoke seriously and Chris sighed.

"Calm down, I was just thinking about-" The brunet stopped and closed his mouth, his eyes darting down. "-unimportant stuff. You don't have to get uptight about it," Chris muttered.

To the brunette's surprise, the blond chuckled.

"Do you mind elaborating further?" He asked and Chris heard the hint of playfulness in his voice again.

"I was thinking about later tonight, alright? God, Wesker," Chris murmured as he fought oncoming blushes.

"Do you mind-" Wesker pushed off the lockers and sauntered beside Chris, "-elaborating _further_?"

"Yes," was Chris's quick response.

Wesker removed his glasses, his gloved hands folding them and setting them on the bench. The brunet watched the blond, his lower lip pulled between his teeth as Wesker descended into him. The blonde's left hand wrapped gracefully around Chris's neck, cold leather pressing into his heated flesh as their lips met. Wesker's thumb sat behind Chris' ear tracing small circles as their lips moved against each other.

Chris moaned in the kiss and his right hand reached up to pull Wesker deeper into the kiss. Chuckling rather darkly, Wesker led by opening his lips slightly, just enough for Chris to follow and allow the blonde's entrance.

Wesker's tongue gracefully maneuvered around Chris' mouth while Chris found his fingers curling and grasping at blond locks, successfully unraveling the perfection that was Wesker's hair. Chris pulled gently when he needed air and, reluctantly, they broke apart. Both were panting, though Chris much more noticeably, and they were still face to face. Chris had taken to leaning his forehead against Wesker's shoulder as he caught air which gave Wesker a chance to reask his question.

"Now would you mind elaborating?"

Chris would have punched the blond if he wasn't currently gasping for air.

Nevertheless, once he was able to breathe, he responded.

"I was just taking things in considera-"

"So help me, Chris, if you don't give a direct answer-"

"Fine, fine. I just don't want to die, you can't blame me for avoiding it," Chris sighed and tugged gently until Wesker was sitting beside him. "I guess I'm just a little on edge about tonight. I'm worried that maybe… I… Won't be able to.. I dunno, please you? I doubt anything I do will ever come close to last night," Chris muttered, his voice changing speeds rather dramatically. Despite his feelings, Chris looked at Wesker's eyes in hopes of finding some sort of emotion.

Wesker was smiling.

It was small, almost impossible to see and if Chris didn't know better, he'd simply say it was half a smirk- but no. That was, undoubtedly, a smile. A _sincere_ smile.

"Don't worry yourself over something so trivial, Christopher. Simply do what you think is best, take it slow and, if you wish, experiment. I must say, I find myself rather flattered that you are so troubled over this," Wesker stated, the smile lingering on his lips.

"Flattered? You can do that?"

"I can do a lot of things, Christopher," Chris froze as a chill went up his spine at the thought and hadn't even seen Wesker stand to make his way back to the door. "I trust you'll be joining me in our bedroom?"

Chris jumped slightly as he realized Wesker was across the room then couldn't help but fall into another frozen state. The blond had said it- _our bedroom_.

"Christopher?" Wesker's voice pulled Chris out of shock and he nodded quickly.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm right behind you," Chris said quickly, rushing to his feet.

The walk back to _their_ room (Chris felt unnaturally giddy at the thought) was quiet but not awkward. Chris was too busy contemplating the things he wanted to try with Wesker to actually speak to the blond. Chris had a moment, when they were walking past the kitchen, where he wondered what Wesker was thinking but found himself absolutely fine with not knowing and went back to his worry filled thoughts.

Once they both entered the room, Chris first and Wesker following to shut the door, Chris realized it was still mid-afternoon by simply looking out the window. He turned to Wesker but was stopped when lips claimed his own rather forcefully.

For a long, long moment, Chris considered not interrupting the kiss and simply kissed back, his hands gripping at various parts of Wesker's clothing to urge the man closer. Somewhere between getting a second tongue in his mouth and Wesker beginning to undress, the brunet came to his senses and pulled away.

"It's mid-day," Chris said through loud pants.

"Is now truly the time to be stating the obvious, Chris?" Wesker asked, exasperation obvious in his voice as he tugged his gloves from his fingers and tossed them somewhere near the armchair.

"I mean- Don't you have research you should be doing?"

Wesker smirked and unzipped his jacket though not removing it, successfully revealing a large portion of his chest. Chris dimly noted that his skin had lightened considerably and was now rather pale as Wesker grabbed Chris's shoulders and began directing them so they had switched spots.

"Currently, I am awaiting results on the new T-virus mix sample and, as I have rather high hopes for this serum, I've decided that I deserve a bit of a release. I don't believe you'll have any objections, Chris," Wesker said darkly as he kept their bodies pressed together.

"Not at all," Chris said quickly, though he was sure it was from nerves.

"Good," Wesker said simply before slipping off his jacket and tossing it somewhere near his gloves.

Chris waited until Wesker kicked off his boots before pushing the blond, rather apprehensively, back onto the bed. The bed itself, Chris noted, was newly replaced with the comforter that Wesker most likely washed when the brunet was hiding out in the locker room and he felt rather bad as the blond pulled himself completely onto the bed, a playful smirk across his lips.

"Just lay back and get comfortable," Chris said as he sighed and removed his shirt- he might as well try as well.

"Very well," Chris could hear the ever so slight twinge of bitterness in Wesker's voice and knew it was from being told what to do. The blond liked being in control far too much to even let this slide without a bit of anger.

Chris joined Wesker on the bed, crawling toward him on his knees while the blond laid against the headboard. The brunet stopped momentarily, looking over the blond as if trying to contemplate his options and decide what he wanted to do. He mused the real question lingering in his mind was what did _Wesker_ want Chris to do? Instead, Chris just did the first thing that came to mind- reassure the blond.

Chris knew that Wesker wouldn't enjoy the situation without being in control. He needed to be in control of every aspect and that meant he needed to know it- and that's exactly what Chris was going to do.

Slowly, Chris shuffled over to him, his knees straddling Wesker's waist as Chris straightened so that he towered slightly over the blond, just enough to cause the villain to look up to meet Chris' lips. Wesker's hands somehow automatically went to the brunette's hips as Chris dipped into a kiss, Wesker immediately taking control with absolutely no objection from the hero. Several minutes passed with their jaws moving quickly against each other, their tongues tangled and their breath short- but eventually the two pulled apart and just sat there. They were merely inches apart from each other, heavy breaths mingling as both of them threatened to start up another kissing frenzy but neither followed through and eventually, both of them smirked.

That was a signal for Chris and he, slowly, began descending.

His lips began pressing light kisses to various parts of the villain's body. First, they found his jaw line, then his neck (where he took care to nip at it as well), followed by his shoulder, his chest, and eventually his navel. Wesker watched him happily, his eyes full of lust and betraying any sort of calm outward look that his body was trying to achieve; One look into those eyes and Chris found himself smiling.

"Get on with it, Christopher," Wesker growled when Chris didn't move from his position above his groin, his body having slipped down to tangle around Wesker's legs long ago.

"I told you to relax for a reason," he said with a small smile- Wesker was growing impatient and he liked it. "I want you to enjoy this."

"I would enjoy it quite a bit more if you were actually doing something," Wesker snapped impatiently and Chris sighed.

"If you weren't so caught up in your own lustful surroundings, you would know I already have your pants undone and was just about to go further," Chris snapped back though his smile told the blond that he was being playful.

Wesker didn't speak again, only eyed the brunet carefully and smirked darkly with a small hum of approval.

Chris smiled and pulled playfully at Wesker's pants until they were open enough to allow the brunet to release the rather excited bulge that was just underneath a pair of thin black boxers. Carefully, the hero hooked his forefinger under the elastic and pulled until Wesker was released from the cloth. The elastic, once let go, clung to the underside of Wesker's shaft but neither seemed to care as Chris continued.

Now what?

He looked to Wesker who was watching him intently, his eyes closely studying his every move. The blond saw the hesitance in Chris, saw the fear and worry plaguing him, and most of all, saw the want and desire the brunet had in fulfilling Wesker's need.

Perhaps that was the reason Wesker spoke.

"Chris, I'm not very patient when it comes to these sorts of situations," Wesker warned, eying him threateningly.

"I'm aware," Chris muttered, his nerves taking over. "I just need a little- I don't know… Direction I guess?"

"You've done it before- quickly but nonetheless," Wesker pushed- he surely wasn't in the sort of situation to talk him through it.

"Right-" Chris muttered before looking at the member in front of him in absolute fear.

"Oh for fuck's- Here."

Wesker sat up and grabbed Chris's right hand that was lingering somewhere near the blonde's hips. The villain brought the hand to his lips, spat and pushed the hand to his own limb. Chris, on his own accord, wrapped his fingers around the member and began pumping- Wesker's hand leaving him as he fell back against the headboard causing it to hit the wall.

Chris was already screwing this up.

"Sorry-" The brunet muttered under his breath as he began racking his brain in attempts to remember anything in his lifetime to help him in this situation besides the occasional hand job he gave himself.

"I told you, Chris- Just do it. Don't be bothered by anything trivial and concentrate on what you feel is right," Wesker spoke before Chris nodded and obeyed.

Slowly, Chris tightened his grip, his fingertips running along the underside vein of Wesker's member carefully, causing a _small_ response from the blond- a hitch in his breath. It was enough for the brunet and he took it as a sign that if he copied what Wesker did to him the previous night, he might actually get through this.

Chris, hesitantly, ran a thumb over the head of Wesker but when no response came, he decided to try a rather different approach. Instead, he lowered his head, his tongue reaching out and swiping along the slit playfully- and it was enough to cause Wesker to tense. Chris smiled and repeated, slowing his tongue's movements before moving it down. Without realizing it, his tongue passed over Wesker's corona while his hand had descended back to the base and the blond was taken by surprise, the low groan escaping him barely audible to the brunet.

Just as before, however, it was enough. It was currently the only thing encouraging Chris to continue rather than up and run from the situation.

"Christopher, stop fretting over the situation," Wesker ordered darkly, the lust apparent in his voice as Chris wrapped his lips around the underside of Wesker and hummed in response.

Wesker grasped roughly at the comforter below him to stop him from forcing Chris to do anything (because that would certainly end wonderfully, the blond was sure). The brunet noticed and smiled, pulling his lips from the underside to reposition at the top.

_Here goes everything._

The ex-B.S.A.A member wrapped his lips gingerly around the head of the shaft, his tongue swirling playfully around whatever it could reach. A quiet moan from Wesker told Chris he must be doing _something_ right- so he continued.

Chris pushed forward, his lips sliding gracefully down the slicked shaft, stopping when a salty taste hit his tongue. He barely recognized the taste from his and Wesker's first _encounter_ when Wesker unexpectedly came in his mouth. He had momentarily tasted the seed before spitting it out but he had quite an unnerving feeling he wouldn't get that privilege this time around. Either way, he identified the taste and realized it was most likely precum. He found himself rather accustom to the taste before long and found the thought of having to swallow it not being as bad as he'd expected- that was if he could ever get Wesker to that point. He was quickly running out of ideas.

However, Chris was short on ideas when he began so that wasn't saying much.

The brunet wrapped his fist comfortably around Wesker's base as he began sliding his mouth from the shaft. He slid it to the top, his fist following before descending, causing a low groan from the blond.

"Hollow your cheeks," The blond instructed with short pants between each word. Chris had already made his way back to the head before stopping and looking at Wesker curiously- he wasn't entirely sure what the blond meant. "Suck."

It was spoken clear enough that Chris's eyes widened and he hummed a response before obeying. He hollowed his cheeks and descended before picking up a sort of rhythmic speed that increased as time went on. The only thing that kept the brunet going were the quiet noises Wesker was releasing from his throat. The blond had long allowed is head to lull back against the headboard in enjoyment. Eventually, Wesker's hand found Chris's hair was tangling roughly into the brunet locks. It took everything the villain had not to push Chris until the man couldn't breathe but, instead, he simply grasped onto Chris as he came.

Despite the abuse his mouth was receiving from uncontrollable hips (though the brunet wasn't complaining), his eyes fell on the blonde's face. His eyes closed, his back arched, and his teeth gritted to keep his moans silent.

Chris wasn't able to catch the entire spillage in his mouth and ended up having to pull away and hold back a cough as he swallowed the little he did catch. The rest shot out onto Chris's chest though the brunet paid no attention as he looked to the blond seeking approval.

Wesker laid there for minute, an arm over his eyes and his breathing ragged as he regained his composure. Eventually, Chris saw a smile break across his lips causing a smile from the brunet as well. Wesker let his arm drop and looked to the hero who hadn't moved but was currently sitting on his knees between Wesker's legs.

"W-Well?" Chris asked after a long moment of them just looking at each other.

"Are you expecting some sort of prize?"

Chris let out a soft chuckle and shrugged.

Wesker didn't respond but scoffed with amusement and shifted so that he was sliding from the bed and no longer at the mercy of Chris. He kicked off his pants and reached into the bedside table drawer, pulling out a small box of tissues.

"Thought so-" he muttered before pulling one out and tossing the box to Chris.

They both cleaned up, tossing the tissues somewhere into the corner of the room. Chris was apprehensive about the situation while he watched Wesker pull his boxers up and slide into bed. The sun had begun to set by now and sleep was haunting both of them. Chris followed Wesker's example, kicking away his pants before sliding under the comforter.

Neither spoke and, now rather afraid he did something wrong, Chris turned away from Wesker. His eyes fell on the door and he bit his lower lip anxiously until he felt the weight behind him shift and an arm envelope him in warmth. He felt Wesker's chest against his back and he smiled to himself, despite his current feeling of failure.

"I told you not to fret over something so trivial," He felt Wesker's hot breath on his neck and found it highly arousing considering he had just given the man a blowjob and got no release for himself despite what happened the night before.

"You know I over-think things, Wesker," was Chris's quiet response.

"Come, pet," Wesker spoke quietly and Chris froze.

"W-What did you say?" Wesker responded with a chuckle so Chris spoke again. "Pet?"

"I assumed you would enjoy a nickname. I suppose I always thought you were the type of person to give repulsive nicknames to their partners," Wesker said simply, nuzzling into Chris's neck causing the brunet to smile brightly.

"I am but 'pet' isn't repulsive."

"Which is why I chose it. Unlike you, nicknames aren't common for me- however when they are used, I prefer them to lack-" Chris quickly turned his head and caught Wesker's lips with his, kissing him deeply before pulling back with a smile. "-stupidity." Wesker finished with a bit of a chuckle.

"I love it," the brunet said smiling at the blond over his shoulder before resting his head against his pillow comfortably.

"I assumed you would," Wesker said with a small chuckle.

"Use it again," Chris requested quietly as he closed his eyes.

Surprisingly, Wesker obeyed.

"Good night, pet."


	17. Commitment

Chris startled awake, the echo of a scream filling the room. He sat up, cold chilling his shirtless body as he frantically looked around. Wesker was gone and light had already began pouring into the room meaning it was well after his injection time. Flashes of a mutated Wesker went through the brunette's mind as he scrambled out of bed and across the hall.

When he entered the lab, Wesker's name almost fell from his lips but, instead, Chris froze.

Wesker looked absolutely fine, though rather angry as he stood in the middle of a complete mess. Most of the tables, chairs, and stools had been flipped, scattered, or broken. Some were obviously thrown against nearby walls while others simply smashed to pieces around the angry blond.

"W-Wesker?"

"You should leave, Chris," Wesker growled, his back to the worried brunet as low growling sounds could be heard under his heavy breathing.

"W-What happened?" The brunet asked, looking around the room in shock.

"For _once_ Chris. Listen to me. Leave," It was another growled response and Chris almost turned and returned to bed- almost.

"Maybe I can-"

"DON'T SAY YOU CAN HELP. LEAVE, CHRISTOPHER."

_Captain Wesker had never been seen so angry before. Most of S.T.A.R.S avoided the blond as he went about his business, a deep scowl planted on his lips and his posture practically screaming anger. Most of the team felt the sheer tension in the room and decided it best to stay away- however, not Alpha's pointman. The brunet was the only one that was able to read Wesker and that, obviously, meant he was the only one to make him feel better._

_It was odd for the blond to be sitting in his office, overlooking the rest of his team with a pencil tapping his desk rapidly. He was on edge and it was obvious from the time Chris lightly knocked on his door, stepping through the open doorway without permission._

" _Redfield, now is not the time."_

_Chris wasn't going to get dismissed that easily though._

" _Captain, I don't exactly expect to talk about your problems but whatever it is, it can't be so bad that you have to bring it to work with you."_

_The pencil stopped and Wesker eyed the brunet._

_That had been the same thing Wesker repeated to his team whenever any of them came to work upset._

" _Sit."_

_Chris obeyed, hurrying to the chair in front of the desk._

_The pencil resumed and Chris continued._

" _Every time you see one of us upset about something-"_

" _Quiet. I didn't allow you to sit for you to continue with your rant. I want to talk something over with you," Wesker said stiffly before leaning back in his chair._

" _Wouldn't you rather talk it over with Enrico? He is the other captain-"_

" _Enrico can't know about this until I've made a decision and you seem to be the only member who isn't afraid of approaching me currently," Wesker was quiet a moment before he set down the pencil and looked at the report in front of him. "Irons believes we're lacking."_

" _Lacking? Lacking what, exactly?"_

" _He doesn't know. His demands are simple; 'fix it'. It's a bit difficult to fix something that isn't broken in my eyes. Do you agree, Redfield?"_

" _Just a bit, sir," Chris's voice was quiet as his eyes scanned the report on Wesker's desk._

_It wasn't a report- it was a small stack of applications._

" _What do you think we're missing, Redfield?"_

_Chris blinked at Wesker, his mouth open as he prepared for an answer but none came. S.T.A.R.S was a family, more or less. They were perfect in his eyes. Everything just seemed to fit together no matter what the situation was. They weren't lacking anyone and nothing that had happened during that year showed any sort of weakness- both Wesker and Chris knew that. No, this was just Chief Irons being Chief Irons and if the man wasn't both of their bosses, neither of them would have a problem with his immediate removal._

_Unfortunately, without him, S.T.A.R.S wouldn't exist._

" _Honestly, sir? Nothing. I don't understand why Chief Irons would think-"_

" _To infuriate me but lets not focus on why, Redfield. I have to somehow create a valid way to fix this mess that Irons is creating for us and I'm not entirely sure there is one."_

" _What about a medic?"_

_Chris's suggestion had been stirring in his mind for a good few weeks, ever since he had been injured and Kenneth had been shot. Chris had wondered hundreds of possible 'what if' questions and most of them had rather scary answers._

" _A medic?" Wesker asked ponderingly as he looked at Chris in slight shock. He hadn't exactly expected a suggestion, after all. "Interesting."_

If he could calm the blond down before, he could do it again.

"I'm not going anywhere," Chris spoke sternly, his eyes hardening as Wesker turned towards him.

His glasses were long gone, probably broken under a table somewhere, and he hadn't seemed to bother with his hair as it was hanging limply in his face. He was shirtless though black pants and boots were in their expected places. To Chris' surprise, Wesker's eyes were dully glowing red though they still remained relatively on the normal side.

"You should sit down," the brunet tried quietly, looking around slightly in hopes of finding a still assembled chair.

Wesker remained standing despite Chris pointing to a nearby chair.

"Or not." Chris muttered before crossing his arms over his bare chest. "What happened?"

"It. Failed."

Wesker's response was direct, sharp, and crawling with anger. Deep growls were audibly emitting from his throat causing Chris to take a rather shaky intake of breath. He had to remind himself that this wasn't the same calm, cool, and collected Wesker he knew in S.T.A.R.S- No, this Albert Wesker was out of control, temperamental, and stubborn. Chris still had a weak spot for the damn man and wouldn't stop trying just because Wesker yelled at him.

"The T-Virus injection? It's only been a day. How do you-"

"IT WASN'T STRONG ENOUGH. I WAS SO DAMN SURE-" Wesker shouted, trailing off as his hands raked through his already unraveled hair.

"You have time, Wesker. Isn't there a stronger virus o-or I don't know-"

The growling stopped and the two looked at each other for a long quiet moment. Chris was about to speak but immediately stopped when Wesker took several strides forward and was suddenly kissing the brunet madly. The hero didn't have much time to respond and was in a rather large state of shock as Wesker pulled away, an evident smile on his face.

"It seems you've become part of the plan after all, Christopher," Wesker said, humor lacing his English stricken voice. "And don't look frightened- I'm not going to experiment on you."

"It doesn't mean I'm not still worried. Is there a stronger virus that you can use?" Chris asked cautiously as Wesker stepped back and began overlooking the damage.

"Indeed and I believe I may be constructing a plan already," Wesker spoke with a bit of a smirk as he turned back to see Chris staring at him in clear confusion. The brunet settled when he saw Wesker's eyes had stopped glowing and found himself sighing.

"You aren't going to tell me a damn thing, are you?"

"Not yet. However, while I construct a plan- I need you to go and figure out your problems."

Chris simply looked at the man, his mouth open in response but he wasn't entirely sure what to say.

"What?" was the word he seemed to settle on before Wesker's grin fell.

"You need to work through your thoughts. I'm well aware of all the little conflicting feelings you have fluttering about and as what I'm about to decide will be a rather large deciding factor in how everything plays out, I'm going to need an answer from you."

"An answer? To what?"

"To yesterday's question," Wesker said simply, his hands latching behind his back as he idly turned back to the mess around him.

Would Chris be tempted to leave if offered?

"I'm not entirely sure what this has to do with what you're planning, Wesker," Chris spoke quietly as he realized he was still rather lost on that answer himself.

"You will see. I'll need an answer by tonight," Wesker spoke decidedly.

Chris didn't respond but simply nodded, despite being well aware of not being seen, and left the room.

* * *

The brunet didn't even realize where he was until he collapsed on the bed of his ( _their?_ ) room. He rolled onto his back, his partially nude body sprawled comfortably across the large mattress. His head rested softly on the pillow beneath him- the same pillow he was clutching several nights ago as he came viciously under Wesker's control.

Blushing and smiling at the thought, a painful laugh escaped him. Would he really stay with Wesker just because of how deeply attracted to the man he was?

No. Chris was a hero. Heroes didn't do things like that.

Would there be any logical reason to stay?

The answer to the question popped into the brunette's mind so quickly that it was gone before he had a chance to yell at himself. It was ridiculous, really, and was definitely not an option. Real feelings weren't an option. They simply couldn't be an option.

And yet they sat there acting as if they were.

Chris didn't love the man. If anything, he slightly liked him but that, he had decided, was from his S.T.A.R.S days and clearly a little part of him had yet to let go of the blond. And the question remained again- was this a logical reason for him to stay?

Real feelings, perhaps. Lustful wanton desires, definitely not.

Now Chris just needed to tell the difference between the two.

* * *

It had truly taken the brunet a long time but he somehow finally pulled his courage together. Slipping on a pair of pants, Chris shuffled into the hallway, stopping in the middle to stare at the automatic lab door that was sitting and taunting him. The reflective material was able to give him a slightly blurred version of himself staring back, arms wrapped around his front in an uneasy position. Sighing, his counterpart following his movements, he walked up to the door and gaped as he stepped through the doorway.

Most of the lab had been restored, broken chairs off to the side while new chairs replaced themselves back in front of upright rows of long science tables. Wesker was in his spot though instead of grueling over some chemistry project, he was writing frantically on one of his notebooks, the pen in his right hand madly scribbling away.

"Are you in need of something?" Wesker asked absentmindedly, his concentration completely unbroken from the notebook beneath him. After several moments, he stopped, flipped the notebook over, and continued.

"Yeah, I kinda am-" Chris muttered as he made his way over to the blond. His eyes fell on the notebook he was scribbling on and realized it was a plan but wasn't given the chance to read any of it before Wesker stopped. He immediately found himself staring into Wesker's eyes, completely distracted from the paper before internally shaking himself into speaking. "I-I want to try something but you have to just kind of go with it-" Chris whispered apprehensively, his eyes finding it difficult to stay on target.

"Do try to make this quick, Christopher. I'm rather busy," Wesker muttered before standing in frustration. Chris nodded and motioned for him to stay still before deciding it best to go for it and hope for the best.

Chris' hand latched onto the back of Wesker's neck, short hairs tickling his fingers as he pulled him ever so slightly down to meet his lips. Wesker wasn't taken by surprise nearly as much as Chris had expected but nonetheless obeyed Chris' rules and accepted the situation. Chris began moving his lips against Wesker's sensually, his left hand now coming up to rest on Wesker's right shoulder, draping over it slightly before joining his right around the blonde's neck. Wesker's hands, however, had decided it best to sit on Chris' hips, gently holding Chris in place as their soft kiss continued.

The brunet deepened it ever so slightly, pushing himself into the blond without rubbing into him or making it animalistic and sexual. His entire test was whether or not he could keep the kiss sensual without turning it into raw desire- and he had succeeded. Soon, he pulled back from lack of air and Wesker smirked, letting the man go.

"Did you receive what you needed?"

"I think I did," Chris said with a bit of a smile. "Sorry to disturb you. I'll have your answer ready for you tonight."

Wesker didn't respond verbally. Instead, he gave a simple nod and sank back into his chair before returning to scribbling madly at his notebook.

It would certainly be a long afternoon.

* * *

The brunet had somehow made his way to the kitchen, realizing once he had arrived that he was hungry. He decided that after he was finished eating he would shower and return to the bedroom. He severely hoped that, by that time, he was more confident in his answer as well as whatever was to come.

As Chris ate, he pondered what he really expected from Wesker when he answered him. Did he expect the man to give up on taking over the world?

He immediately put that out of his mind- Wesker had already said his priorities had changed and the brunet thought it better to face that problem when it came.

Did he expect to just hang out at a half built Tricell facility for the rest of his life if he said yes? Chris still wasn't entirely sure whether Wesker's question was another game and this worried him.

Perhaps if he answered yes, Wesker would smirk, say that he had expected the answer, and he was proud that Chris was able to keep a level head through their _stimulating activities_.

Perhaps if he answered no, Wesker would smirk, say that he had expected the answer, and straddle him.

Chris mused that he would happily accept either outcome as he made his way to the showers. He quickly undressed and hurried under the hot stream that began to melt his worries almost immediately. The brunet allowed the water to wash over him, closing his eyes as the stream hit his face and for one long moment, allowed him to forget what was to come that night.

Eventually, Chris made his way back to their (he shivered) bedroom and stopped when he found Wesker sitting idly against the headboard, notebook in hand. It took a long moment for the blonde's eyes to stop skimming the page and look up at the brunet with a bit of a smile. Chris eyed the window and realized it was sunset, causing the sky and room to glow a light orange despite the glow from the table lamp beside the bed.

"I expect you've made your decision?" Wesker asked, eying Chris carefully as he shut the door out of habit.

"I don't know," was Chris' response.

"I see."

Chris sighed and sat on the bed, his eyes on his hands while Wesker watched him from the middle of the bed. It took a long moment before he looked up and met the blonde's eyes.

"O-Okay here it goes. I like you… a lot more than I should. I'm supposed to be the hero and you're supposed to be the villain and we're supposed to fight and try to kill each other-"

"We've done that already, Chris."

Chris stood up and began pacing as he continued. Sitting still wasn't an option.

"-yes I know but the point is… we're not supposed to stop. I'm not supposed to do sexual things with the villain who kidnapped me and I'm sure as hell not supposed to like it. The only thing that's kept me going is the fact that I like you so damn much and I… I have no idea if it's leftover feelings from S.T.A.R.S or shit that I just never dealt with or maybe I'm just as insane as you but we both know that I care a hell of a lot more for you than you for me and that's what makes this whole deal so fucked up. Not just that you are you and I am me but we both know this could never go anywhere and we still fucking do it," Chris finished rambling, panting slightly as he stopped and looked towards Wesker.

"Are you finished?"

Chris paused.

"Y-Yeah. I think so."

"Then will you answer the damn question?"

Chris stared at the blond a long moment before sighing and shaking his head, speaking quietly.

"No, I don't see myself leaving if Jill or Sheva tempted me. In fact, you've left me alone countless times and I haven't even tried finding a way out."

"I warned you the first day that you wouldn't be able to find the way," Wesker reminded him carefully.

"I know but I'm stubborn. I would have tried if I wanted out, that's what I meant," Chris said in a mumble. "Would you let me go?"

"It's rather surprising you would ask something like that, Christopher. After kidnapping you, protecting you, traveling with you-"

"Hitting me, drugging me, threatening me-" Chris interjected with a bit of a glare.

"Right. After everything, you believe I would simply let you walk out of here? Even if you didn't want to leave- that simply isn't an option," Wesker said strictly before shaking his head. "Well, not yet."

"I-I didn't exactly mean it like that," Chris muttered quietly, glancing at the blond from the corner of his eye.

"I see."

"Maybe you should just forget it. Forget that I asked the question o-or I could easily accept that answe-woah!" Chris was suddenly pulled forward by the wrist, tripping slightly over the bed as he collided lips with his enemy. "I think that answers that then?" Chris asked quietly as they broke apart after a long moment.

"I'd assume so, yes," Wesker responded before releasing Chris with a bit of a smirk.

"So what exactly did your plan have to do with my response?" Chris asked cautiously as he sat back down carefully, rather confused on… everything, really.

"Tomorrow, I'll be leaving on a small trip to retrieve something that may actively effect the serum. However, your response depended on whether I would leave you here or bring you along. Leaving you would result in my trip only lasting several days while bringing you would easily risk triple the time," Wesker explained slowly as his eyes flashed back to the notebook in his hand.

"And just because I gave you a decision, you're going to trust me?" Chris asked cautiously, his head tilting in Wesker's direction.

"Yes, I believe so," Wesker muttered before looking up into Chris's confused face. "What?"

"It just doesn't make sense."

"As you said, Chris, I know how much you care. I don't see you simply fleeing into the middle of Africa nor do I see either of your former partners visiting anytime soon."

"I see."

Chris became terribly quiet, his bottom lip being nibbled between his teeth as he got lost in thought. By the time Wesker looked up from his notebook again, it was well into the night and Chris had yet to move. The blond watched the man before sighing, tossing the notebook onto the nightstand, and speaking.

"What is it, Chris?"

"What's going to happen- between us, I mean," Chris muttered.

"You, yourself, said we can't possibly be together."

"I know," Chris answered shortly. "I also said I care more about you than you do for me. Is that true?"

"Must you ask something you already know the answer to?"

"Oh," the delayed sadness in Chris's voice was apparent and Wesker chuckled.

"You really are thick, aren't you?" Wesker muttered through a shake of a head before giving Chris a strong look. "I will say this once and only once, do you understand me?" Chris nodded slowly. "I will not say that I love you and I may never say those words. However, that does not mean I do not have any feelings for you. Whether or not this can is entirely your decision as I don't seem to have a problem with fucking a hero."

"W-Wesker-" Chris wasn't entirely sure where his voice was coming from as his throat was currently dry and he was in a state of shock but he somehow continued. "- We haven't exactly f-"

"That, pet, is your decision as well. I want you to be fully aware that if you decide to stay with me after I get this serum figured out then you must be prepared. I'm not a good person, Christopher. No, I do not have any intention to recreate my latest plans. This does not mean I don't have any other plans in mind and as I don't expect you to encourage them, I cannot allow you to stop me."

"T-This is why it would never work. You expect me to just turn around while you murder people and I'm a B.S.A.A-"

"Again, Chris. That is your decision. You don't have to be the hero…you don't have to be the villain either," Wesker said as Chris shuffled until he was beside the blond.

Chris glanced at the blond beside him and saw the indifferent look on his face. His chin was slightly clenched (though, it rarely ever wasn't) and his lips were molded into a bit of a frown- he looked as if he were discussing the weather rather than their future. In fact, the only bit of him that gave away his feelings toward the matter at all were his eyes. Chris felt a smile tug at his lips as he saw _something_ in Wesker's eye that was completely different from what the brunet had seen before.

"I don't know how you expect me to do that. I've been fighting for years- how am I suppose to just stop?" Chris muttered.

"Unfortunately, you'll need to make that decision rather soon. To be specific, before I leave. When I return in the following days, we can either forget our little pastime activity or…. Not," Wesker said simply, his eyes glancing at Chris before returning to the ceiling as he removed his shirt and began laying down, his hands relaxing on his stomach.

"Why do I suddenly have to make this decision _now?_ " Chris asked glancing at the blond with a bit of a frown.

"Multiple reasons. You have a tendency to brood- you do, Chris, stop making that face. You smile and have a rather nice act when we're together but the moment I leave, you return to sulking. I've ignored it until now, and even accept when you decide to stay as close to me as possible out of pure fear of your own guilty thoughts but eventually you'll give an ultimatum; Relationship or nothing. I'm simply speeding the process along," Wesker answered not bothering to return the look from Chris.

"You said there was more than one reason," Chris muttered, trying to stop himself from looking at the villain as he chuckled. He wanted to study his face while he spoke, just to see if he could find anything that would betray Wesker's words but his fear of seeing something that wasn't there stopped him and instead, he found himself focused on the armchair in the corner.

"Indeed there is, Chris. The second reason is also simple; You will get bored. We could probably continue for another few days and you would be fine but eventually, you'll want more. You'll want a relationship, perhaps even commitment and while demanding this, you will still be confused on your own feelings just as you are now. This is why I'm making my conditions clear. Depending on what you decide, I will know that you have no higher expectations than what you will receive."

"And you want me to decide now?" He asked slowly, his eyes on the blond. "- I mean, I didn't expect this. I didn't think…. " Chris trailed off and he sighed deeply.

"Perhaps not at this moment but before I leave in the morning, yes," Wesker responded.

Chris was silent for a long moment before he asked, rather quietly;

"Are you actually talking about a commitment?"

"Call it what you will, Christopher," Wesker had returned to using his mocking tone of voice as Chris was quickly exceeding his amount of questions he was allowed to ask.

Unfortunately, knowing that didn't stop Chris from continuing.

"And I would stay here? With you?" Chris's words were quiet and slow as he was trying to comprehend what Wesker was offering.

"Perhaps not here. I don't expect to stay here after the serum is completed."

"What if I said no? What would happen to me after you finished the serum?"

"I would simply drug you and you would happily awaken in the hands of the B.S.A.A," Wesker said coldly, causing Chris to frown again.

"You would let me go?"

"You were never much of a prisoner, Chris. I have no interest in gaining leverage with your little organization and I simply wanted entertainment. There was a rather large possibility that I would die and I needed a distraction," Wesker, to Chris' surprise, smirked. "The possibility is still there but the probability isn't very high. I no longer need a distraction which is why I leave it up to you."

Chris grew silent. He wanted this. He wanted to be with Wesker and not have to worry about the world any longer. It had been on his shoulders for all those years along with the mansion incident, the fall of Raccoon City, and even Rockfort Island. Fighting Tricell and the remnants of Umbrella was exhausting and he questioned day after day whether it was worth it. In fact, it was his first thought when he arrived in Africa and the moment he found out Wesker was involved, he was sure he had found his answer; No matter how much he fought, there would always be another virus, another Umbrella involvement, and another crazed villain who believes the world is his.

That's why Chris knew his answer.

Without people like him, the world would have been subjected by the T-Virus by now. Hell, he didn't even know how many world occurrences that he and his colleagues had stopped but without him and his friends, the world would parish.

"I can't do it. I can't turn my back on the world."

Wesker remained silent, his eyes emotionless and stuck to the ceiling as Chris removed himself from the bed. Neither of them looked at each other as Chris walked towards the door and opened it, taking a deep breath before stepping through the doorway.

He hadn't even made it a second step before the world went dark.


	18. Awake

Voices swarmed in the dazed brunette's head and he was sincerely hoping they would stop. All of them were talking at once, overlapping and making it impossible to understand any of them. He couldn't move, feeling frozen to the spot though he was completely unaware of where that spot was. It was dark and the voices weren't helping his disorientation in the slightest. They all seemed to be calling out to him, some louder than others and he was able to recognize a few of them but to who they belonged to escaped him at the moment.

"I knew that would be your decision, pet."

"W-Wesker?"

Chris hadn't tried to speak before now but at the sound of the blonde's voice, the one that he recognized far easier than the rest, he couldn't simply let it go.

"Chris! Chris, it's alright. Can you hear me?"

"Claire, he'll be fine. Let him breathe."

"You don't know what that bastard could have done-"

"Wesker isn't here, Chris," it was Sheva's soothing voice.

Chris heard it clearly and he wanted to tell the other voices to quiet down but he couldn't bring himself to. Instead, he allowed his eyes to open despite the bright light that began blinding him. He groaned and he heard soft gasps from the room.

"Where-"

"We're back at the B.S.A.A headquarters," Jill's voice spoke before Chris' vision returned and he was able to see the group of people around him.

He was in a hospital bed of sorts in the middle of a recovery room that was, indeed, at the headquarters. Jill and Claire were at his feet while Sheva stood beside him. Claire rushed to the other side of him but was quickly pulled out of the way by Jill as a doctor hurried into the room.

"B-But Wesker?"

"Gone," Sheva's voice answered as another light was shoved into his face and he was told to focus on something while it flashed back and forth in front of him.

"We can talk about that later. What matters is you're okay. He is okay, right doctor?" Claire's voice ended rather helplessly and Chris was finding it harder and harder to keep conscious with so much going on around him.

"As I've told you before, Miss Redfield, it was simply a mild sedative. He will be fully alert in several minutes but you must let him relax into his surroundings."

The doctor spoke from somewhere beside him but he was completely unable to see his face or who he was. His voice didn't sound familiar to him but that was the least of Chris' worries as his vision began blurring again.

Claire pushed the doctor aside, pulling out of Jill's grip, and stood beside Chris. Her hand found his as she smiled down at him. The right side of the brunette's lips formed a tired smile before he drifted back to sleep.

* * *

"If you don't keep your voice down, you'll wake him again. He needs his rest- god knows how long he's had to fight for his life or how much he's been tortured," Chris awoke to Jill's worried voice and the clear shiver he heard behind it.

"He's been out all day. I thought the doctor said it was a mild sedative!" Claire spoke sounding as if on the verge of tears and Chris could hear her pacing footsteps, causing him to smile. His sister was strong and, just like him, worried constantly about things she had no control over; he'd forgotten how much he missed her.

"Like Jill said, we don't know what Wesker did to him," Sheva's voice, clearly trying to reason with the frantic redhead.

"Calm down, Claire. I'm alive, aren't I?" Despite how tired he was, Chris was still able to use his mocking older brother tone and, without even opening his eyes, he could practically see her smile.

"Chris!"

Chris opened his eyes and was relieved to see that everything was much clearer. He sat up, repositioning his aching body into a more comfortable position. Jill quickly tried to stop him but Sheva shot the blond a careful glance and she stopped, looking at him worriedly. Immediately he was showered with hugs by his sister, followed by Jill and even Sheva bent down to give him a one armed hug.

"You really scared us, you know," Claire said with a small smile.

"Does someone want to explain why I'm back at the B.S.A.A?" the brunet asked, looking at the three girls around him.

"We thought you might know, actually. We weren't here when you returned but we came as soon as we were told," Jill answered before adding quietly, "What did he do to you?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Chris muttered quickly, eyeing his blond partner. "I didn't expect-" He trailed off, looking around the rather empty room.

"We didn't expect to get a call saying you were unconscious and found in the infirmary," Claire said with a chuckle.

"And Wesker got away?" Chris asked carefully, eyeing the three of them.

"We aren't sure. The surveillance is strange- almost like it was clipped but the guards on watch claimed they didn't see anything. You need to stop worrying though, you're safe now."

Chris had never believed Jill less in his whole life.

* * *

A week after suddenly being discovered in the infirmary, Chris had realized they were no longer in Africa and Wesker had, somehow, gotten him all the way back to the United Kingdom. He wasn't given many quiet moments to think about the blond, his actions, or his decision. Chris had almost expected to wake up at the B.S.A.A but he hadn't expected Wesker to simply let him go.

The blond had claimed that he wouldn't let Chris go so easily.

And yet.

Chris was up and walking within a day or so of awakening but Claire, Sheva, and Jill were almost desperate to keep him in their sights. Jill played the motherly type, Claire the defender, and Sheva was the one who tried reasoning with the two when they decided to ignore Chris- which was often.

Sort of like now.

Chris and Jill were currently fighting about Chris' schedule while Sheva stood to the side with a bit of an unsure facial expression. Claire was currently back in the U.S, preparing Chris' old apartment for him to return but Chris just didn't want it.

"Jill, I'll be fine. I really don't need to take time off," Chris spoke, exasperation lacing his words. He was growing tired of being treated as if he was a delicate creature and this was just getting ridiculous.

"We don't know that for sure. Just take some time off, go back to the United States for a while. Just go _home_ , Chris," Jill insisted.

"I know that I'm fine," Chris' words were stern and if it had been anyone besides Jill, that would have been the final word.

However-

"No you don't, Chris," Jill responded with a sigh as if Chris was being ridiculous for wanting to keep working with the B.S.A.A.

Jill was pushing the brunet for a long, _long_ vacation.

Chris wasn't stupid.

"This isn't just about you," Chris stated grabbing for his jacket from the back of his desk chair, "B.S.A.A thinks something is wrong, don't they?"

"You can't blame them, Chris. You haven't spoken about what happened while you were imprisoned and you suddenly appear completely fine. The B.S.A.A are just a little-"

"A little _what_ Sheva? Jill and I built this damn organization and now they're questioning my loyalty just because of Wesker. How could you even let them suggest something like that?" He asked, turning sharply to Jill.

"Chris-" she sighed and he practically gaped at her.

"You can't be serious."

"It's not that I believe them! I've just- I've been in that situation. I know how it feels to not be in complete control of yourself," the blond reasoned, stepping up to the man as he was pulling on his jacket.

"You are all alive. That doesn't convince you that I'm not under his control? Lets not forget that I've been examined by several doctors, under your orders, and have been cleared by all of them," Chris was angry but his shouting was more desperate than livid.

"Chris, just take some time off. You've been acting strange the past few days and we just want to make sure-"

"I'm not just going to lay down in America while the rest of the B.S.A.A fights. I'm-"

"You need to rest," Sheva said softly.

"I'm fine!"

"You practically walked off a concussion! That isn't fine. If not for the B.S.A.A, do it for yourself, Chris."

Chris looked at the blond, his mouth open as if he were searching for words that could possibly explain just how disappointed he was in them. He looked to Sheva who still had the same melancholy facial expression and decided it best to turn back to Jill before speaking.

"One week. One goddamn week. That's all I'm taking."

"T-They don't think you should come back until we've captured or killed Wesker," Sheva said apprehensively, taking a step back as Chris turned back to her.

"Chris, until further notice, you're to remain in America. Take the time to visit with your sister a little more-"

"I can't believe you two are actually doing this," Chris muttered in disbelief.

"We don't have a choice! How are we suppose to do _anything_ if every B.S.A.A member is doubting one of the two people they look up to?"

Chris wanted to say it, probably more than anything at this point. _You're the one who was actually in his possession, why aren't they doubting you?_ He wanted it but the long years that it took to find her and the amount of worry and pain he went through, he knew it was best to keep quiet. His anger was beginning to get the best of him and instead of speaking, he simply turned on his heel and began towards the door.

"Chris, we believe you," Sheva said quickly as Chris grabbed the doorknob.

"No you don't."

And he left without bothering to look at the faces of his partners.

* * *

The brunet shifted in his airplane seat, his cheek resting on his fist as they took off. It was a small B.S.A.A plane which meant that he was the only passenger. There were several pilots and a single stewardess but they were all B.S.A.A agents in the end and he hadn't seen anyone since he'd left the facility several hours ago. The pilot had warned him that they would be taking off but said nothing else and sounded, if Chris was to be honest, rather nervous.

That probably explained the lack of service from the steward as well but Chris tried not to linger too long on the thought. He was more focused on his partners.

It was true, he hadn't told them or anyone else about his time with Wesker. How much could he say, exactly? They thought he was in terrible danger and, if it had been up to him, he wouldn't have left if given the chance. However, there was still the B.S.A.A and he clearly couldn't turn his back on them. The fact that he was simply back should be enough- right?

And neither of them acted as if they cared. Neither of them respected his wishes to keep quiet about his time with Wesker and ignored him on a regular basis. They treated him as if he was a source of information rather than their partner. The moment they felt it was safe, he had been bombarded with questions. Where did Wesker keep him What was Wesker planning? What did Wesker do to him? How was he still alive? How were any of them still alive?

It was ridiculous.

Chris sighed and shifted again, leaning back comfortably into the seat before crossing his legs, his left ankle resting on his right knee while it shook irritably. There was simply too much going on in his head and there wasn't a single person he could talk to about it. He was beyond restless and he actually longed to see Wesker but refused to admit it. In fact, he was actually a bit angry at the blond despite slightly agreeing with him. How could he simply just let him go like that? He wasn't exactly expecting Wesker to beg him to stay but he didn't fight at all. He just accepted it and did what he had to do. Was it really that easy for him? Was Chris truly that expendable?

The answer was obvious but Chris still tried to convince himself that he wasn't.

* * *

Once the plane had landed, Chris found Claire waiting for him patiently by her car. She was leaning against the black sedan, a smile planted on her face as he made his way over to the red-head. He had his bag slung over his shoulder and, despite the grin Claire was giving him, he couldn't manage a real smile back. He twisted his lips into a fake grin as he approached her, anyway.

"I'm glad to see you feeling better," she said, her arms going around him in a tight hug. He returned it half-heartedly and sighed as she took his bag.

"Yeah well-"

"Oh ignore them. I'm sure they'll come to their senses eventually. Jill is just being careful and the rest of the organization is just on high alert until Wesker is caught," she assured as she tossed the bag into the back seat, "But I don't believe for one moment that you're under any type of mind control or whatever they think you have."

"You don't?" Chris asked cautiously as he followed Claire into the car thus slipping into the passenger seat.

"Of course. You're my brother and I would know if you were being controlled by that maniac. I mean-" she secured her seatbelt and started the car, "-I know you don't want to talk about what happened while you were there, I understand that. It doesn't exactly make sense for them to jump directly to mind control. I mean, it's been a week and if he had injected you with anything or done anything then we would have known by now, right?"

Chris simply nodded with a mumbled response before leaning his elbow on the window sill. He rested his head in his palm while he watched out the window, not really paying much attention to the long rolling fields of grass but, instead, to his sister's words.

* * *

"Your old car is still here and everything is where you left it," Claire said once they had reached his apartment.

Chris looked around the small place in awe as he had completely forgotten the size. It was tiny compared to his place in the United Kingdom and it looked as if it was actually made for a single person, unlike his other apartment which could easily hold an entire squad. They were currently standing in the living room which had three full walls, a couch pushed to one side and a cheap television across from it. The kitchen overlooked the living room and was only able to fit several cupboards lined up above the stove and sink. The fridge was full sized but shoved into the corner of the kitchen to leave walking room. There was no dining room and the apartment only held a single bathroom down the hall that was right across from the bedroom. The bedroom itself held a double bed, another cheap television, and a small closet that was currently empty.

"This place is a little depressing," Claire said as she looked around the lifeless living room.

"Now I know why the B.S.A.A wanted to keep paying rent on this place," Chris muttered as he tossed his bag onto the couch. "Just in case they decided to-"

"Chris, stop it. You know you aren't expendable to them. You built the place and you have more experience with Wesker than anyone in the organization. You know him better than anyone and that's what scares people," Claire spoke strongly causing Chris to smile a bit.

"How long do we get to visit before you have to go back to Terrasave?" Chris asked as he flopped onto the couch with a look of discomfort.

"Actually, I have to leave now. I'll be back later tonight if you-"

"No, it's fine. You can come by tomorrow if you have time. I'd rather spend time alone, tonight," he added at the worried look that appeared on Claire.

"I suppose after Jill and I have acted this past week, I can't really blame you-"

"You were worried, it's fine. I just can't believe the B.S.A.A agents are acting like this- even Jill and Sheva."

"Sheva has only known you for so long, Chris, and Jill has been in that situation. Look, I'm really sorry but I have to go. You know I'm on your side, don't you?" she asked as she hurried in front of him for a goodbye hug.

"Of course, Claire," he muttered as she bent down and wrapped her arms around him. He leaned up and hugged her back, thankful that he wasn't entirely alone. Someone still believed him and that someone just happen to be the most important person in his life.

"I love you," she called before closing the door behind her and locking it from the other side with a key given to her long ago.

And thus, he was left alone- again.

Sighing, he grabbed the remote from atop the couch cushion beside him and turned on the television, flipping to a random old show. He kicked off his combat shoes, which was a lot more difficult than it sounded, and pulled his feet up onto the soft beige couch. He shuffled down and comfortably laid his head on the arm rest. Chris was exhausted but far too restless to sleep.

That was his last thought before he fell asleep.

* * *

Waking up, it took him a long moment to remember where he was. He was back in his old room instead of the living room where he fell asleep in and was resting on his left side. He was still in his clothes and laying atop the comforter on the right side of the bed, his right arm sprawled out across the left side as if he was looking to hug something- or someone.

He frowned and sat up, looking at the empty spot beside him almost as if he expected someone to be there but it was empty with little to no indication that anyone had been there prior. Chris slid from the bed, removing his shirt and tossing it into the corner before leaving his room to enter the living room. The television was off and his shoes were still laying where he left them but something still felt strange.

Little did he know that the door was now unlocked, unlike it had been the previous night.


	19. Volunteer

Chris was stuck in his old apartment. He had transportation but he didn't have anywhere to really go and he was utterly alone. His sister had built a life for herself which meant he couldn't exactly spend time with her and he had no intention on trying to contact his partners. He had both his home and mobile phone if he wanted to talk to anyone but really- he didn't. He didn't want to be alone but even more so, he didn't want to talk to anyone.

Instead, he sat on the balcony that was connected to his room, leaning against the rail almost nostalgically. He'd done it far too often during his stay in the U.S when he was visiting his sister. The was all this apartment was used for, really, and he would have gotten rid of it long ago had it been for the B.S.A.A paying for it. It wasn't an amazing view- not like you'd expect being so high up but all you saw were buildings. It was a small town in the Midwest rather close to the TerraSave headquarters but the town reminded him of Raccoon City.

Chris hated it.

He stood up straight and sighed at the view. It was a gloomy day, matching his feelings rather perfectly, and the dark clouds threatened rain. He was high up enough to see the street below him bustling with activity and anyone walking was either rushing to beat the rain or holding a closed umbrella, just in case. Chris found himself liking to watch other people. It was easier to focus on all the other lives going on around him than his because, to be quite honest, he doubted anyone down there had it as difficult as him.

Chris, may or may not, be slightly in love with a guy who just recently tried taking over the world.

Yup, that was pretty difficult.

So difficult that the brunet found himself chuckling quietly. The whole situation was ridiculous. Chris shouldn't even have allowed himself to see Wesker as anything besides what the man was- a monster. That's what he's always been and subtle human attributes don't make him human. If anything, it should have made him more into a monster.

But Chris just wasn't like that. He couldn't see the man as a monster even with his enhanced abilities and cat-like eyes. No, what made Wesker a monster was his actions and that was Chris' problem. That was something that Chris just couldn't turn his back on.

Chris had been stuck in his old apartment for days now. Every day, he woke up feeling as if the spot next to him had belonged to someone and every morning, it was empty. This added terribly to his feeling of loneliness and he had almost called Claire multiple times just to distract himself but TerraSave was busy with the B.S.A.A also trying to track Wesker.

Chris found himself smirking again, his eyes now turning to the sky as drops of rain began to fall. They wouldn't find Wesker- not if he didn't want to be found and right now, the blond didn't want to be found. The only thing that gave Chris comfort in this thought was that Wesker had no plans, as far as he knew, and was still most likely focused on trying to get the serum to work correctly.

A raindrop hit Chris' face and he jumped when he distantly heard his phone ringing. He sighed, another raindrop hitting him, before he shook off the water, turned on his heel, and went to answer the phone.

"Hello?" He asked, picking up the receiver that sat in the corner of his room.

"Hey, Chris," it was Jill's voice and, for a split second, Chris wondered if he should simply hang up.

"Jill," was his response, completely deadpanned.

"How are you doing?"

"What do you want?" Chris had never been so angry at his friend before and he certainly wasn't in the mood to make nice with her now.

"We- Sheva contacted Claire and she was able to get you a temporary job at the police office down there. It's just a volunteer thing but they just thought you could use something to do while we figure things out here," Jill said quietly.

Chris was silent for several long minutes before he snorted.

"So it's really going to take that long, then?"

"Chris, we have no idea where he could possibly-"

"And I could be helping with that but instead I'm halfway across the world and being treated like a damn criminal!" Chris barked into the phone.

"Chris-"

"You know what? Thank Sheva for me," and he hung up.

* * *

"Chriiiiis?" Claire called upon entering the apartment. She closed the door behind her, frowning as she ventured deeper in the house to find her brother. "You know, you really should keep that door locked."

"It _was_ locked," Chris spoke as Claire entered his room.

"You look broody," Chris glared at her and she gave him a soft smile, "and no it wasn't."

"I must've forgotten to lock it," Chris muttered, distantly listening to the sound of rain pounding could be heard from the balcony. Claire sighed and joined him on the bed, sitting beside his laying body.

"Jill called, right?"

"Mhm," was Chris' response.

"What did she say?"

"I have a new job."

"You're just volunteering and they really need the help. Besides, it's just to get your mind off of things and it's completely up to you if you want to go or not. It's only an option, Chris."

Chris gave his sister a side glance before sighing and nodding. Really, he thought it was a good idea given his situation but he simply did not want to be here. He didn't belong here like his sister did- he belonged with the B.S.A.A but he was steadily beginning to doubt it.

"If it makes you feel better then I'll go check it out if I feel up to it tomorrow," Chris muttered, giving a soft smile to his sister who just beamed at him.

Claire left a little while later, wanting to get home before a storm kicked up and he was left alone yet again. He had flipped on the television long before Claire had left and he was now changing through the channels before choosing an adequate show. Sighing, Chris stood and began dressing into night clothes as it was growing late.

* * *

Chris didn't know when he had fallen asleep but he awoke the following morning similarly to how he had the previous mornings. Sitting up, he glanced at the spot beside him and found himself eyeing a folded piece of paper. He shifted before grabbing it and opening it.

' _Rocky Isle. Midnight.'_

Chris stared at the three words in disbelief. A strange mix of giddiness, fear, and relief swept through him as his eyes darted over the words over and over again. They were hand written, perfectly readable and it didn't need a signature to tell Chris who it was from.

After almost considering taking the whole day off just to find the place stated in the note, Chris sighed and folded the note back up. As much as he would love to sit around and muse about it all day, Chris promised Claire he would get to the police station and volunteer for whatever they needed. He set the note on his bedside table and stood, walking to the bathroom to shower and ready himself for the day ahead.

* * *

"Claire, what street did you say it was on?" Chris asked, sometime later. He had Claire on speakerphone, his phone sitting in his lap as he drove through town- rather lost.

"It's on State street, not very far from your apartment."

"Yeah, I know. I just missed it," Chris muttered before thanking her and hanging up.

He managed to get on the right street and soon found himself in the parking lot of the police station. Chris stepped out of his car and looked at the two story building with a sigh. With a bit of hesitation, he began towards the entrance.

Once inside, he was greeted by the receptionist who sat behind a large desk to the right of the entrance. The remainder of the large room was filled with police officers behind desks, some with handcuffed assailants and others doing paperwork. Chris chuckled to himself as he remembered how terrible deskwork was back in his S.T.A.R.S days. He turned to the brunet woman, who's nametag read 'Margo', and told her why he was there.

"Hello, my name is Chris Redfield and I was suppose to meet the Chief of Police according to my sister, Claire?"

"Oh, you're Claire's brother?" She asked, standing up with a large smile. "I'm Margo- I've known your sister for a long time," she said, holding out her hand proudly. He shook with a smile as he gave her a once over.

She was wearing a nice pair of black pants while her white shirt held the police logo on the sleeve. She had her brown hair pulled into a ponytail, showing off her bright brown eyes that sparkled when she smiled- which she seemed to do a lot. It was simply in her aura and Chris assumed she was a happy person.

"Unfortunately, Chief Tackett is in a meeting right now but not to worry- he is expecting you. I'll be right back," she said quickly, rushing through the office and disappearing into a hallway that lead around a corner.

She returned moments later, the smile still planted on her face.

"He'll be right out. If you don't have any questions, you may take a seat," she said and motioned to the empty chairs behind him.

"If I may ask, how do you know my sister?"

"TerraSave sends people over to help us when we get understaffed and Claire seems to volunteer a lot so most of the office knows her. It's usually small stuff, paperwork and filing, but seeing how Claire is a bit more advanced in police matters, she helps with pretty much everything around here. Speaking of, it's really nice to see that it runs in the family. We've been understaffed for months now and everyone around here is overworked and horribly stressed. We could really use the help."

"I'll just be glad to be useful."

Chris turned to sit down but stopped himself and walked back up to Margo who glanced up at him, still smiling.

"I- Uh. Do you know where I could find Rocky Isle? I'm suppose to meet a friend there later but I'm not very familiar with this town and I can't exactly contact Claire-"

"No need to explain," she said with a smile, "I'll print some directions for you. I'll have them ready in a minute."

Chris thanked her and just as he went to sit down, a group of people exited the hallway Margo had gone through which meant the meeting was, most likely, over. Chris took the seat, nonetheless, and was soon approached by a tall man. He was middle aged, maybe less, with short black hair. He was wearing a suit and his physique reminded Chris of Wesker back in his S.T.A.R.S days. He mentally shook the thought from his head as the man smiled and introduced himself.

"Mr. Redfield! Glad you could make it. I'm Paul Tackett, Chief of police," he said, as Chris stood and they shook hands.

"Mr. Tackett, as I've told Margo- I'm just happy I can help. My sister said you guys could use the help so…" He trailed off and Margo looked up at the mention of her name.

"Tell Claire I said hello, would you? I know the poor thing's been busy lately," Margo said with a sad smile.

"I will," Chris said before being handed a piece of paper with step by step instructions, "Thank you," he said quickly before folding and pocketing it. "Now, how can I help?"

Chris was lead through the station and into the Chief's office. It was a large office, the walls filled with personal and professional items. A bookshelf sat directly across the doorway and several file cabinets lined the wall beside it. The desk in the middle had a large stack of papers to the side while a gun, a pair of handcuffs, a gun holster, and a bullet proof vest sat in the middle.

"If I may ask, what exactly will I be helping with?" Chris asked carefully, his eyes going from item to item.

"Oh nothing to worry about, really. You'll most likely just be backup on patrol or simply helping with paperwork- simple things. Miss Redfield said you were once a police officer?"

"Something like that, yeah." Chris answered with a frown before the chief motioned for him to equip himself with the items. Chris did so in a matter of several quiet minutes before Paul nodded.

"Good, good. Now let me introduce you to your new partner."

* * *

Technically, it was his partner for the day as they were to be patrolling together until nine. Chris was introduced to a strict woman by the name of Kasey Coffman. Her short brown hair and strong brown eyes were enough to show that she was serious but that strictly professional smile she gave when being introduced to Chris was enough to make him smile.

They were currently sitting in a police car, Kasey driving, as they patrolled around a shopping center. Neither of them spoke which was absolutely fine as Chris had his mind stuck on the meeting he was to have with a certain blond later. He sighed quietly and looked distantly out the window, his eyes simply glazing past the countless buildings.

"If you're going to patrol then you should probably be focused rather than thinking about your girlfriend," Kasey muttered, glancing dangerously at Chris.

"Sorry, I wasn't. Just a little distracted," he muttered as he clearly didn't want to challenge the serious female.

"The suggestion still stands- stay focused or people die. Simple as that," she retorted.

Oh yes, Chris knew that statement well as Wesker had repeated it over and over in his S.T.A.R.S days. It was true, though, so he never really got tired of hearing it but hearing it from the officer just didn't feel right and, almost immediately, his mind was back on to the blond.

"Is it always this slow?" Chris asked almost two hours later. They hadn't been called to any nearby scenes and nothing had looked suspicious whatsoever in the time they patrolled which Chris found rather odd considering he clearly remembered the police officers in Raccoon City being called out almost constantly. If S.T.A.R.S hadn't been a special team, he was sure they would have been called out too.

"Yes and no. The office itself is always busy but the streets vary. It's hard to catch someone in the act of doing something though you wouldn't exactly know that, coming from S.T.A.R.S now, would you?" She asked coolly.

"Actually, being in S.T.A.R.S taught me just how difficult it is catching people in the act. Days and days of surveillance after months of research. We mostly caught drug trafficking so, obviously, what mattered was catching them in the act," Chris responded, ignoring just how cold Kasey had been.

"My mistake, then," she said quickly.

They were quiet for the remainder of the patrol and when the highlight of the evening was someone running a red light, Chris was glad to call it a night when the time came. They were soon back at the station, he went inside to tell Kylie he was leaving and received a phone number to call in case he needed anything. He gave Kylie his number as well assuming it on a friendly and left.

* * *

Chris couldn't bring himself to go home and, as Claire didn't answer her phone, he found himself following the folded directions from his pocket. He was soon on the edge of the city and a right turn down a street suddenly had him in a different world. The street had him heading straight for a small forest, one that he could barely see through the darkness that had long surrounded him.

Following the directions, he soon found himself in the middle of said forest. He was standing outside of his car facing a lake that he wouldn't have said existed if it wasn't encircled with lanterns which had also lined the road approaching it. He wasn't surprised that he was alone but, as it had taken him quite some time to find the lake, it was now close to eleven. He walked to the bank of the lake and sat down on the ground, his handgun still at his waist while the remainder of the items were discarded in the car.

He looked up and realized he had a clear view of the stars which caused him to lay back so he could gaze at them. Each star shown brightly, most likely due to the clear sky as the previous night was filled with dark clouds, but it was still absolutely stunning.

It was strange, really. He hadn't contemplated whether or not he would show up and wait for Wesker. He simply did it and somehow he didn't feel in danger like he should feel at the thought of meeting Albert Wesker in the middle of a dark forest, alone. Instead, he was rather emotionless despite the small twinge of excitement that was bubbling in his stomach but Chris simply pushed it down and ignored it.

It was close to forty minutes later and Chris suddenly had an overwhelming feeling of being watched. Quickly, he reached for his gun, jumping to his feet before spinning around and pointing at where he felt the feeling was coming from.

"That was certainly unexpected."

Chris remained silent as he lowered the gun that had been pointed directly at the blond merely feet away. He didn't know what to say, really. He hadn't been preparing anything or running lines through his head like he had thought he would. He was just absolutely stunned at the sight.

"You probably shouldn't be lowering that," Wesker informed as he began stepping towards him.

"Probably not," Chris muttered as Wesker stepped in front of him.

Without even thinking, Chris had stepped forward and closed the gap between them. The blond didn't fight it and even allowed himself to latch his gloved hands onto Chris' waist which pulled their bodies together. Chris, in turn, wrapped his arms around the blonde's neck and was quickly playing with his hair as the kiss deepened and they had to pull away.

"If you wanted me dead, I would have been," Chris muttered, looking into Wesker's shades before, slowly, removing them from his face. "Better," Chris muttered again before Wesker grabbed the glasses and pocketed them inside his coat.

Chris pulled away, hesitantly of course, before sitting down and gazing out at the pond as he waited for Wesker to join him. The blond did, his jacket discarded beside him, and soon, the two were in a comfortable silence.

"So. How'd you do it?" Chris asked, his eyes not leaving the water.

"Pardon?"

"How did you find me?"

Wesker chuckled.

"I've known about your whereabouts since you were forced to return. I assume you aren't very happy about that?"

"The B.S.A.A have pretty much rendered me expendable so no, I'm not happy," Chris muttered, glancing at Wesker who returned the look. "Why aren't you killing me?"

"Excuse me?" Wesker asked through chuckles which caused Chris to give a small smirk despite the question.

"I don't know, that's just what seems to make sense right now. You killing me. That's what's suppose to happen, isn't it?"

"I suppose," Wesker said thoughtfully. "But you certainly aren't much of a threat."

"I have a gun?" Chris offered with a smile and Wesker shrugged.

"It's not enough to make you threatening, I'm afraid."

There was a long silence as the soft joking went away and Chris had to ask the question plaguing his mind.

"Did you get the progenitor virus fixed?"

"Yes. Without too many details, daily injections are no longer needed and my plan worked," Wesker said simply.

"Any new plans to take over the world?" Chris asked, internally relieved the man was no longer in danger.

"I have plans yes but for the world, no. I'm afraid Excella took care of all the expenses needed through Tricell and with no connections, I'm without funds. To put it simply, I've decided mercenary work is in my best interest at the moment. I'm not completely surrendering my goal, mind you. I'm simply postponing it until I'm able with the right plans and source of income."

"You should stay at my place," Chris suggested suddenly, his attention glued forward as he didn't want to see the look on Wesker's face.

"I do have a place-"

"In Africa," Chris responded dryly.

"I could easily find another-"

"Just say yes, Wesker."

Several moments of silence passed before-

"Very well."

* * *

They didn't stay at the lake much longer and they were both back in the car within an hour or so. Wesker already had a traveling bag which held extra pairs of clothes and personals which meant now all that was left to do was get back to Chris' apartment.

To be honest, the brunet really hadn't thought any of it out and was slowly beginning to regret the suggestion as he dawned on more and more things. His new volunteer job, for example. True, he was only needed when called but could he really leave Wesker alone in his apartment?

"How did you get in?"

"The lock was simple enough to pick," Wesker responded as they began nearing Chris's apartment.

"You've been in there more than once, haven't you?" Chris asked carefully, glancing toward the blond before his eyes returned to the road.

"Don't ask questions you already know the answer to," Wesker responded with a smirk. "But yes, I have."

"I'm not entirely sure if I'm creeped out or if I'm relieved."

"You should be more relieved," Wesker told him simply and Chris didn't disagree before parking.

Despite Wesker knowing where the apartment was, he followed Chris. The brunet couldn't exactly say it was awkward in the elevator but it wasn't exactly comfortable and he was glad when the elevator opened on his floor. He continued down the hall, Wesker at his heel, until he found his door and pushed the key in.

"Oh-" He said as the doorknob turned with the key and the door began opening. "It's unlocked."

"Hey, Chri-" Claire's voice stopped as her eyes fell on Wesker.


	20. Conversations

Claire was on her feet by the time the front door was closed and was quickly moving across the room towards her purse which most likely held a weapon. She was shouting, rather loudly, and Wesker had taken to dropping his bag near the door before merely leaning against the wall beside it as the two siblings began talking.

"Claire! Claire! Please, rela- Claire, put down the gun," Chris urged as she was soon holding a handgun pointed over Chris' shoulder to the blond behind him.

"Do you have ANY idea what this bastard has done to us, Chris? Tell me one good reason why I shouldn't shoot him right now!"

"Because it would be a lot easier to fight the viruses on the black market with Wesker on our side, don't you think?" He tried. She was just behind the coffee table, her stance perfect and her gun at the ready. Even with a gun, the situation was rather pointless as both Chris and Wesker knew she wouldn't be able to shoot the blond. Hell, Chris was barely able to do it at point blank range and his sister was trying from across the room.

"Actually-"

"Shut up, Wesker," Chris bit to the man.

"And what makes you think he is on our side? Are YOU even on our side?"

"As your brother, I sort of resent that but taking in the current situation, I can't blame you. Claire, really, I know I have a lot to explain but I swear I'll explain it once we can sit down and talk about this. Without him, of course," Chris added as Claire eyed Wesker dangerously.

"F-Fine," she said stiffly, slowly lowering the gun.

"Wesker, you should probably go back into the bedroom," Chris suggested heavily, turning to him and raising an eyebrow to how relaxed the man looked.

"You certainly didn't think this through, did you?" He asked, bending down slightly to pick up his bag.

"You could say that," Chris muttered as Wesker passed by him and disappeared into the hallway. "Now, can we please sit down and talk about this rationally?" He asked motioning towards the couch.

"It depends if you are under any sort of mind control or not," Claire said, again stiffly, and Chris almost chuckled though he was sure it wasn't a joke.

"I'm not. Believe me, you'd notice if I was."

Claire didn't put away her gun, simply put it on coffee table in front of her before sitting on the couch. Chris joined her, sitting beside her while still facing her, eyeing the very ready handgun nearby them before looking to his sister.

"I might as well start from the beginning," Chris muttered before he did.

He told his sister everything, including his and Wesker's times together. He had originally planned on leaving those details out but figured it was best to be completely honest considering this was his sister and he trusted her completely. She hadn't reacted well at all and she looked at him almost pitifully as he explained his unresolved feelings and even went through the explanations of his memory loss. Eventually, he ended on their recent meeting before taking a deep breath and speaking again.

"And… that's it. You can't tell Jill or Sheva any of this!" He added frantically as Claire looked at him absolutely stunned.

"You two… slept together… after he kidnapped you and assaulted you…. And then he left you with the B.S.A.A…. Where you were treated as an enemy… and he's now living in your house?" Claire asked very, very slowly.

"We haven't slept together but you're rather close," it wasn't Chris but Wesker who responded and Claire jumped up at the voice, reaching instinctively for her gun.

"Wesker-" Chris growled under his breath and the blond sighed as the woman held the gun but was obviously confused on whether she should point it or not.

"I was simply correcting her facts," he said rather innocently but received a glare from the brunet anyway.

"Claire, please," Chris said quickly before looking back to Wesker who was now going into the kitchen. "I'm assuming that's why you're out there?"

"For food, yes," Wesker assured and began through the cupboard.

Claire had, hesitantly, listened to her brother and was now placing her gun back onto the table. She carefully eyed the blond once more before returning to her seat, her gaze shifting to her brother.

"Are you sure he's serious about this mercenary thing?" she asked quietly.

"I am. You've told her my reasoning, I assume?" Wesker asked from the kitchen as he began pulling out various items.

"He doesn't have the money to actually do anything, Claire. He has no connections left, one place to stay in Africa, and can you really imagine him getting hired for any normal job?" Chris asked in amusement as a flash of Wesker working at McDonalds worked it's way into his mind.

"I don't know, Chris. I don't trust him."

"And you shouldn't," Chris and Wesker said together. They both froze momentarily but Chris shook it off and continued while Wesker simply ignored it.

"I don't either and he may be dangerous but I can't turn him into the B.S.A.A."

"Why not?" Claire asked carefully and Chris noticed Wesker's movements had slowed as he was listening intently.

"Even if I tried, they wouldn't catch him. The second I called them, I would either be dead or he would be gone. Besides, like I said, he would be better on our side."

"That's all fine and great, Chris, but _he_ ' _s_ the other side!"

"Currently, all viral related serums are being sold on the black market," Wesker informed from his position in the kitchen before soon leaving with a sandwich in hand to join them in the living room. He stood across the room though as Claire seemed highly uncomfortable whenever he moved even just slightly.

"Wesker, technically, isn't even the main threat anymore and the B.S.A.A are fully aware of that. Yes, he's superhuman and a _potential_ threat but he could be a lot of help."

"Chris-"

"Shut up, Wesker."

"You seem to believe that I have some sort of intention to help the B.S.A.A. I'm simply trying to correct it- I don't."

"See!"

"Claire, sit down and put the gun away," Chris said hurriedly as she grabbed for it again. "Wesker, as a mercenary, you may help us more than you think. Who knows, you might have a change of heart after a while."

"Right, I'll suddenly want to assist the organization that has not only attempted to kill me but has angered and abandoned you as well," Wesker spoke dryly before taking a bite of the sandwich.

Claire eyed Chris and he saw the gleam in her eye.

Yup, Chris wasn't the only one who caught it.

Wesker had a small soft spot for Chris, it seemed.

"I really don't like this, Chris," Claire said worriedly after several quiet moments.

"Yeah and I'm obviously ecstatic with the situation after being kidnapped by him," Chris muttered but got an annoyed look in response from the woman.

"You're the one who asked him to live here, you idiot," she snapped, punching him playfully on the arm. "And I realize you weren't very happy about the kidnapping but you didn't seem to complain too much from what I was told," she muttered, causing Chris to blush awkwardly.

"Yeah well…" He trailed off and Claire sighed heavily.

"W-Well, how was your first day at the volunteer job?" Claire asked quickly, obviously trying to return to the reason why she was there in the first place.

Wesker raised an eyebrow and eyed Chris, a gaze which the brunet felt and dreaded.

"Right, I forgot about that. I'm volunteering for the local police force and might be called in every once and a while," he added towards Wesker who shrugged, nodded, and finished his food in silence. "- and it was fine. Margo says hello, by the way."

"Oh I bet she was happy to meet you!" Claire giggled before realizing the situation. She quickly coughed and sighed. "Well, having a gay brother wouldn't have been bad. Having a gay brother who insists on sleeping with the enemy-"

"Claire!"

"Sorry, sorry. I just talked a lot about you to her and I would have liked if my best friend and my brother could have gotten married," she said quickly before Chris realized that she meant she was most likely talking about him on purpose to get the receptionist excited to meet him.

"That explains why she gave me her number then," Chris muttered and Wesker looked up from his quiet stance across the room. Suddenly, the Redfield siblings could feel Wesker's eye on them and it was suddenly rather tense.

"Wait, what?" Claire asked, a smile on her lips at the information.

"We exchanged numbers," Chris said and Claire, holding a giggle, shrugged.

"I'll make sure to tell her, just to keep on the safe side, alright? Maybe that'll make Blondie less jealous," she added in a light whisper.

"He's just possessive. Don't mistaken it for him caring," Chris muttered back, though he was sure Wesker heard both siblings. "Speaking of, I need to know that you won't tell Jill or Sheva about this. Really, Claire, you have to trust me on this."

"Chris-" Claire said in her very best 'I-really-really-don't-know-about-this' voice.

"Claire, as your brother, you have to trust me. If I really didn't think I was safe, I wouldn't have done this."

"You can't possibly expect her to believe that," Wesker said from his side of the room and both siblings glared at him.

"Wesker-"

"I'm simply saying that you should possibly look at the situation you're in now. You hadn't even begun to consider your sister after your living proposal to me and here you are attempting to convince her that you were sure you were safe?"

Claire looked at Chris expectantly, obviously not wanting to say the words 'he has a point'.

"If he wanted me dead, I would have been a long time ago," Chris said but groaned as Wesker spoke again.

"Yes, you're right. I wouldn't have killed you when you served a purpose- but what about now?"

"How many chances have you had in the last week?" Chris shot back and Wesker smirked before leaning back against the wall.

"What was that suppose to mean?" Claire asked carefully as Chris had skipped over the fact that Wesker had been there multiple times in the previous nights and not simply to drop off the note.

Once Chris did have that explained, however, it didn't exactly make convincing Claire easier.

* * *

"She won't tell anyone," Chris said finally, walking into the bedroom that Wesker had long since escaped back into as the siblings' conversation went for several hours.

"You realize she most likely wouldn't have spoken about it even if you hadn't spent hours convincing her," Wesker spoke as he entered the room from the balcony. His gloves and jacket had been discarded and now sat in a small black pile in the corner on top of his duffle bag.

"How do you know, exactly?" Chris asked accusingly, glancing toward a clock which read, painfully, 4:30.

"She's your sister and she knows that if she said a word of this to the B.S.A.A, you would be lacking a job-"

"I sort of already am," Chris muttered but Wesker continued.

"-and you may turn into an enemy," he finished.

"Do you really think she was thinking clearly through all of her shock?"

"If your logic runs in the family, most likely not," Wesker said dryly before shedding his shirt. He tossed it onto the small pile in the corner and Chris frowned as he realized he hadn't told the blond that he could use the closet.

"You know-" he began carefully, shedding his clothing as well. "-There's enough room in the closet for your clothes. You don't need to push it all into a corner."

"I'm sure there is," Wesker muttered as Chris turned out the light and they both climbed into bed from opposite sides.

Chris hadn't said anything but he held a small grudge with the blond and it became slightly obvious when he didn't respond- Chris was _trying_ to be nice and if Wesker could brush it off, so could Chris. The problem was, Chris didn't want to just shrug off this grudge. He wanted to keep it, hold it inside, and never let it go though he wasn't entirely sure why; perhaps he knew it was ridiculous and didn't want it out in the open? Either way, Chris would get by.

He would just have to accept that it was simply easy for Wesker to let Chris go and there was nothing he could, or would, do about it.

Chris would never bring it up.

"You should stop brooding."

Chris groaned and clawed at the pillow beneath his head.

"I'm not brooding, I'm trying to sleep. You do know what time it is, right?" Chris grumbled.

"I'm aware. This begs the question of why are you brooding?" Wesker retorted, making Chris sighed as he fought the urge to turn over dramatically; Doing so would simply make him face the blond and he didn't want to do that, even if it was in the darkness.

"I'm. Not. Brooding. Go to sleep, Wesker."

About an hour went by and neither of them had fallen asleep. Chris knew Wesker was awake because when the blond slept, there was a sort of heaviness in the air that told Chris that he was alone- and he certainly wasn't alone now. Chris assumed Wesker knew he was awake as well because, well, Wesker was Wesker.

"I hate you," Chris groaned and realized dawn was soon approaching.

"I've done absolutely nothing to warrant that-"

"Excuse me?"

"… Recently."

"I beg to differ," Chris mumbled as he buried his head deeper into his pillow. Almost another hour went by, both of them still awake before Chris groaned out in frustration and sat up, staring at Wesker beside him who was merely laying on his back with his hands folded behind his head, looking rather comfortable in the morning light. "Why can't I sleep?"

"Am I suppose to know the answer to that?" Wesker asked carefully.

Despite the cover of annoyance in the blonde's voice, Chris clearly heard exhaustion behind it and wondered vaguely if he was having the same problem.

"You seem to know everything else!" Chris exclaimed and Wesker blinked up at him as if he had just sprouted wings. Chris was not just snappy but dramatic as well, it appeared, when he went without sleep. Chris looked at Wesker apologetically and the blond sighed quietly before shifting so that he was on his left side, facing Chris.

"Lay down," He growled and Chris obeyed, though, not before giving Wesker a strange look. Chris situated himself, similarly to how he was before, and yelped when he felt Wesker's arms slithering around him.

"Wes-"

"Quiet," Wesker snapped and pulled their bodies together. He had managed to get both arms around the brunet and merely let them wrap around until his arms were comfortably confined around Chris' midsection while his back was pressed snuggly against Wesker's front.

"What makes you think this will solve anything?" Chris asked quietly though he felt his arms settling on Wesker's.

"This is what I've done the past several nights. I simply thought the familiarity of it-"

"Thank you," Chris muttered quietly.

"Of course," Chris could have dreamed it but he could have sworn he heard Wesker end with, "- Pet."

* * *

"CHRIS!" The brunet yelped and ended up falling off the edge of the bed since Wesker had released him. Chris groaned and sat up from the floor, his eyes falling on his sister standing in the doorway.

"What was the shouting for?" He asked his sister through droopy eyes as he fought to get back into bed with Wesker.

"Oh no you don't! Chris, you aren't actually serious about sleeping with him!"

"Claire, are you really doing this right now?" He asked as he settled back under the blankets, Wesker's arms instinctively going around him despite the small audience. "We didn't get to sleep until around 6," Chris explained through a yawn and had he not been already half asleep, he would have seen the horror stricken look on his sister's face.

It took several hours of constant explanation before Claire was fully convinced that Chris and Wesker had simply slept together and even Wesker, after he was done making it difficult for Chris, had begun trying to explain as well. After Chris was able to convince his sister that nothing had happened, he was able to fully get dressed before joining her in the living. It was well past noon now and, as Chris hadn't gotten called in for his job, he was tempted to go back to sleep. Wesker was fine, however, and proved to be as he vanished back into the bedroom to begin unpacking.

Chris, however, stayed in the living room with his sister.

"So, are you going to explain why he had his arms around you?"

Chris would have thought she was accusing him had it been for the grin on her face and giggle behind her voice.

"Claire, one minute you're screaming at us and the next you're being suggestive. You might want to make up your mind," Chris said as he returned from the kitchen, a sandwich on a plate in hand.

"I still haven't made up my mind about Wesker. Do you really think he's-"

"No," Chris said quickly, sitting beside her. "But he isn't going to hurt me, I know that for sure. I also know that we shouldn't trust him, at least not completely."

"That'll be easy enough," Claire muttered and Chris gave her a sad smile.

"For you."

"Oh, sorry."

"It's easy when I think about everything he's done," Chris said as he set the plate on the table in front of them. "But I don't think about it that often. I use to when I was trying to deny everything but now I don't even know what I see."

Chris wouldn't admit it but it felt utterly amazing to have someone like Claire actually aware of the situation. Out of anyone in the world, he preferred it to be Claire for two reasons; The first being Claire was the only person in the world he would even trust with an issue like this; The second reason was Claire just happen to be the only person in the world that he would ever be able to talk about his feelings to and it stemmed completely from their sibling relationship and being so close to each other. It really helped after dealing with the situation alone for so long. He wasn't alone anymore and he couldn't be happier.

"Chris, you really shouldn't get too attached."

"I know, Claire, I know. I'm not- Well, I'm trying not to, at least. I know that, at any time, he could just walk away and not come back and the next time I'd see him would involve me pointing a gun at his head," Chris muttered darkly and Claire frowned.

"If it helps, Chris, I really think he cares about you. In his own way, of course, which may or may not be a good thing but there's something there. You could see it last night and even a little today. If he was to leave, I don't think it would be because he wanted to," the redhead said with a smile and Chris smiled back though it was a little more forced than he wanted it to be.

The two had to veer off the subject minutes later as the shuffling from the bedroom ceased and Chris didn't want to risk Wesker hearing. Instead, the brunet went into further details about his first day at his job and they stayed on the subject, even as Wesker joined them lacking his jacket and gloves. His glasses were, however, back in place, to Chris's chagrin.

"So who were you partnered with last night?" Claire asked excitedly. She had gotten more relaxed, even though Wesker was skulking about in the room. She was leaned back comfortably on the couch, her feet on the coffee table and her purse out of her clutches but resting beside her on the floor. Wesker, however, went from standing in the kitchen to moving about in the living room before he, finally, took a seat in an armchair.

"Officer Coffman. She knew a little about S.T.A.R.S but obviously didn't have her facts straight and was a little-"

"She isn't so bad when you give her a chance, really. She's just serious when she's on the job and especially when she feels defensive. I'm assuming whatever you said made her feel defensive and you pissed her off," Claire concluded, leaving Chris stunned.

"I didn't say any-"

"I'm sure you didn't," Claire said sarcastically and Chris glanced at Wesker to see his lips lifting into a dark smirk.

"I commented that there was no activity and asked if it was always that slow. Was that a bad thing?"

"I told you she's defensive. It may not make sense to you but I can see how she would take something like that wrong. I'll talk to her, if you want," Claire added the ending and Chris nodded meekly.

At least he wouldn't be hated by his co-workers at his volunteer job too. One job full of people who hated him was enough.

"Well, I really should be getting back to work," Claire said, standing up. "I'll be by later tonight-" She stopped and sighed. "-Damn, no I won't. I promised to go out with Margo. I could cancel if-"

"No, go out and have fun. I'll see you tomorrow?" Chris asked as he walked his sister past Wesker who didn't bother moving.

"Alright," Claire eyed him carefully as Chris held the door open for her and he smiled reassuringly.

She didn't look very convinced though as she walked out, leaving Chris with Wesker.

"She's rather certain you're in danger," Wesker commented as Chris returned to the sitting area.

"Claire's just a little… cautious. That's all. She knows she can't trust you so leaving me alone with you is almost literally a nightmare for her," Chris explained as he sat back down on the couch. "Now, will you take those damn things off?"

"Excuse me?" Wesker asked carefully, eyeing Chris from his throne-like position in the armchair.

Chris sighed and leaned across the gap between them, his thumb and forefinger closing around the rim of Wesker's sunglasses before sliding them carefully off his face. He folded them and set them neatly on the coffee table before sitting back comfortably on the couch, his eyes lingering on Wesker's slightly entertained face.

"Do they concern you that much?" Wesker asked, his gaze falling on the glasses discarded on the table.

"Yes," it was a quick answer and Chris simply smiled before continuing. "Have anything planned for today?" Wesker eyed him and chuckled, shaking his head.

"Not today. However, tomorrow I'm leaving for my first mission which I can tell you nothing about," Wesker spoke quickly as Chris had his mouth open, ready to ask questions.

"When will you be back?" Chris asked hesitantly and Wesker smirked again.

"Tomorrow evening. It's a simple task, really," Wesker said with a shrug.

"Simple for you or simple for anyone?"

Wesker chuckled his deep, dark chuckle before speaking.

"You would have no problem with it, Chris. Perhaps that puts it into perspective?"

"A little, not as much as I'd like," Chris shrugged and stood. "I'm taking a shower. If I don't, I'll probably pass out," Chris muttered and began towards the hallway.

"Would you like some assistance?"

Chris stopped and turned slightly, looking at Wesker who was smirking up at him. They stood silent for a while, Chris looking at him with almost a questioning look while Wesker merely smirked. Chris wasn't thinking about it or considering it, like it may have looked. In fact, he had known the answer from the moment the words registered in him; No, he was simply surprised by the offer.

"Y-Yeah, I would," Chris said slowly and Wesker stood, following the brunet down the hall.


	21. Bonds

It was strange, really, having to take those first few awkward steps towards the bathroom. It wasn't exactly bad but it certainly wasn't as great as being spun around, pushed against a wall, and having your lips assaulted wonderfully which is what the blond did as soon as Chris had continued towards their destination. Chris smiled into the kiss, his right hand curving against the back of Wesker's warm neck, his cold fingers tingling as their numb nerves sprung to life. His left arm somehow wrapped itself around Wesker's body, his hand absentmindedly finding it's way to the blonde's midback where he used the leverage to pull the blond into him.

The sudden closeness and wanton desire shown by Chris caused Wesker to growl and push the brunet harder into the wall. Chris made a small muffled noise at the roughness but made no action to protest. Instead, his right hand slid down Wesker's front and began unzipping the tight black shirt pressed into him. His lips moved against Wesker's in a dance, their tongues playing and teeth clashing in urgency.

Wesker soon shrugged off the shirt, allowing it to fall to the hallway floor before they began moving again. It was difficult for the two of them; Chris had managed to turn around and was now walking backwards down the hallway, still attached to Wesker, while the blond guided him. His back hit the doorway of the bathroom and he was soon pressed against the sink, Wesker kicking at the door to closed behind the two. With the satisfying sound of the bathroom door slamming, Chris yanked his shirt from his torso and Wesker, having to break away from Chris anyway, bent towards the shower to start the water.

The shower itself was half bath and was definitely larger than most which left very little moving room in the small bathroom. A sliding glass door separated the room from the shower, the glass distorting the contents on the opposite side just enough to leave little to the imagination. Once the sound of streaming water began reverberating through the room, the two continued at their task, their lips reconnecting hastily as they both began at their own pants. Chris was first to get his off, hesitantly keeping his boxers on , while Wesker followed, kicking both pants and undergarments to the side.

Wesker's hands began traveling over Chris' body, first sliding over his shoulders before descending onto his stomach and finally the thin cloth that was tenting over Chris' lower half. The blond pulled from the kiss, receiving a small noise from Chris, as his eyes flashed to the surprise piece of clothing. He raised his eyes back to Chris' unsure lip biting expression.

Chris had nothing to hide; The brunet was rather proud of his body and didn't mind the opportunity to show it off (especially to Wesker) but he still hesitated when it came to actually exposing himself. Wesker smirked at Chris' growing blush and slowly, without breaking eye contact, began pulling the undergarment down. With his forefingers latched on the waistband, he was able to push them until about mid-knee before they dropped on their own accord. Chris was chewing furiously on his lip at this point and was soon pulled into another kiss, both men tasting iron.

Neither seemed to mind, Wesker even seemed to respond well to the taste, and they were soon under the scolding hot stream of the shower. Chris was getting most of the stream, his hair drenched and now sticking to a wet forehead. Wesker's front, as it was pressed against Chris, was the only part of him that was wet. Chris smirked and leaned back slightly, pulling Wesker with him. The blond didn't protest too much as his hair was suddenly overcome with the torrent of water causing the once perfect hair to come completely undone. Chris pulled from the kiss to shake the hair from his face and laughed quietly as Wesker began quickly trying to fix his hair. Chris pushed Wesker back a few steps and they were soon reconnected at the mouth, the water now beating down Chris' back, and thus, out of the way. The rhythmic pounding of the heated water on Chris' back combined with the warm assaulting his front was taking from Wesker soon began causing his entire body to heat up and, in no time at all, his own hot body was radiating onto Wesker's.

Soon enough, the steam clouding around the room was so thick that Chris was beginning to feel suffocated and yet that still wasn't enough to stop Wesker as he finally took the initiative and pushed the brunet against the cold plasterboard wall of the shower. The wall dented in slightly as Wesker pressed his body into Chris' and Chris had to pull from the harsh kiss to speak.

"Touch me, dammit," He growled and pulled Wesker by the neck back into the kiss.

Wesker, now smirking, obeyed; His right hand slid between them, though he had to pull his body from Chris' which meant pulling from the kiss to readjust his position. Wesker's left hand stayed poised on Chris' waist while his right began slowly stroking Chris' member. Chris' head fell back against the wall and he sighed at the touch.

"Everything is prepared in the bedroom," Wesker spoke smoothly and Chris almost didn't hear him over the flow of water as he was lost in his own bliss.

"Wha- What's ready?" Chris asked hazily as Wesker was skillfully handling him.

Wesker simply smirked and pulled his hand from Chris before rinsing it off in the water stream. Completely ignoring Chris, he began washing himself while the brunet watched him in shock. Chris continued to watch as Wesker quickly ran his hands through his hair and stepped out.

"If you are as lost as you look, perhaps you should follow me," Wesker suggested from outside of the shower. Chris watched Wesker's distorted form through the glass as the blond dried himself and left the room. Chris quickly followed, shutting off the water with haste before jumping out to grab a towel.

Chris wrapped the towel around his waist and crossed the hall into their bedroom. Wesker had his towel around his waist loosely and he was sitting on the edge of the bed when Chris entered the room. The room itself was dark despite the fact that it was midday outside. The balcony door had the curtains drawn leaving only streams of light to escape around the edges. The single light that usually lit the room was off and the simple glow from the balcony was enough to light the room.

"In the bedside table," Wesker said and watched Chris as he made his way over to the small table.

Chris sat on the side of the bed and opened the small drawer; Inside was a pack of condoms and a bottle of lube. The brunet looked at the contents almost in shock as he slowly realized what was happening. He felt the bed shift and was suddenly wrapped in warmth while his neck was assaulted by a pair of lips. Chris realized the sudden warmness was Wesker's torso against his back and his arms currently encircling him and turned his head until his cheek touched Wesker's. Wesker kissed and nipped his way to Chris' lips and they were soon entangled with each other, towels tossed aside.

Somehow, Chris had ended up straddling Wesker's lap while the two of them were still kissing. Wesker had retrieved the contents of the drawer in their struggle to get into their current position and was currently trying to rip open a condom package without looking at it.

"W-Wait-"

"Do you always talk this much during sex?" Wesker asked in annoyance as he finally gave up, put the edge to his mouth and pulled the wrapper open with ease.

"I-I'm just confused. I thought you said-"

"Chris, I believe this is something we could discuss after," Wesker said firmly before grabbing Chris, pulling him down and rolling. Wesker now kneeled between Chris' legs while Chris was on his back.

"Y-Yeah okay," Chris muttered as Wesker smirked and grabbed for the lube. "When did you-" A glance from Wesker made Chris stop and simply lay back.

With the silence, Wesker opened the tube and squeezed a considerable amount over the pads of his fingers. He put the tube aside and spread some of the cold substance at Chris' opening. The brunet shivered and sat up, his forearms supporting him so he could look to what Wesker was doing.

"Relax, pet," Wesker muttered and Chris nodded. Wesker inserted two fingers together and Chris tensed in shock.

"Damn," He groaned and took a few deep breaths to relax himself again.

When Wesker felt Chris relax around his digits, he began the preparation process. He scissored, rubbed, and probed until Chris was moaning to continue. Wesker had purposely missed Chris' prostate several times and simply had the brunet wanting to be filled as he inserted his third finger. Chris welcomed it, despite the dull pain that was dwelling under the simple pleasure. Whilst preparing Chris, Wesker was able to pull on the condom and slick it up slightly with his free hand wishing to waste absolutely no time as they were both painfully hard. Wesker pulled his fingers from Chris, receiving a small whine from the brunet, and prepared himself at Chris' entrance. Hooking his arms under the insides of Chris' knees to lift him slightly, Wesker slowly began pushing in. Chris cried out at the sudden intrusion that was much more than he expected from small preparation and Wesker stopped until Chris urged him to continue.

They continued like that until Wesker was fully in and Chris was simply panting in both pain and pleasure. Wesker slowly shifted until he was laying over Chris, his arms on either side of Chris' head, and reconnected their lips. Chris happily accepted the kiss, their jaws moving against each other until Wesker pulled away, just slightly, to motion that he was going to continue. Chris nodded and Wesker proceeded to pull out and push in, his hips jolting himself deeply into Chris. The brunet moaned through closed lips as Wesker slowly began picking up a steady pace.

The sound of skin slapping skin echoed through the room causing Chris to feel slightly dirty but in amazing ways. Wesker reached down with his right arm and lifted Chris's left leg up and over his shoulder. This was a bit uncomfortable and forced Wesker to readjust but the blond was now hitting Chris' prostate head on causing him to get simply lost in bliss.

"I-I'm... Not… going to h-hold out.. Much longer," Chris moaned as he was suddenly very aware of the pressure building in his stomach and the fact that both of their bodies were radiating glorious amounts of heat.

Wesker nodded hastily to Chris and picked up his speed with ease as he was now bending over Chris on his knees instead of laying over him. At this point, it took everything Chris had not to reach down and stroke himself to completion because this wasn't just about his pleasure; it was about Wesker being the one to push him over the edge and make him feel utterly amazing- and he did just that.

Chris came hard. A string of moans fell from Chris and his body tightened, causing an unsuspecting blond to follow closely behind him. Wesker sighed and let Chris' leg fall back on the bed as he, slowly, laid himself on Chris. The brunet certainly didn't complain as Wesker claimed his lips slowly and sensually kissed him until Chris just couldn't take it and had to pull from the kiss.

"I've never been so damn confused in my life," Chris muttered and Wesker chuckled. Without responding, Wesker rolled off of Chris, pulling the dirty condom off and tossing it into the trashcan beside the bed.

"You can never just accept a situation. You have to question it and over-think it, don't you?" Wesker asked and Chris pulled himself into a sitting position, his exposed back against the cool headboard.

"No, you should know that by now," Chris shot back and Wesker chuckled again. "I think I deserve an explanation."

"I suppose you do," Wesker muttered and mirrored Chris by sitting up against the headboard. "The situation has changed. Now that the serum has finished and my last remaining contact is no longer cooperating with me, I'm left with my last alternative which includes you."

"And what's made it change exactly? A week or so ago, you were giving me an ultimatum and now-"

"I told you, my last remaining contact is no longer cooperating with me. I hadn't planned for that when I perfected the serum and you, being you, pulled yourself into my alternative by forcing me to live here," Wesker spoke clearly, causing Chris to give him an unbelieving look.

"I didn't force y-"

"Pet, you really must learn to pick your battles."

Chris knew full well that admitting that he was the one who forced Wesker to move in was the only way Wesker would ever see the situation to save his own pride so the brunet merely nodded.

"Fine, I forced you. Whatever lets you sleep at night," Chris muttered and Wesker sighed quietly but said nothing in return. "So- what? Is this you offering some sort of commitment?"

"You could say that," Wesker said before slipping off the bed. "Believe what you wish, Christopher. For now, I'm off to have a proper shower. You're welcome to join me, of course, but I daresay there won't be much actual showering involved if you do. Up to you," Wesker left the room and Chris soon followed looking more shocked than anything.

* * *

Once the two men had showered and were fully clean, they returned to bed. It was late evening now and neither had questioned or objected to simply slipping into bed to relax for the night. Wesker's arms had immediately laid out for Chris to pull himself into them and the brunet was now laying his head on Wesker's bare chest. Wesker's arm was draped lazily over Chris' waist while Chris's finger was tracing lines on Wesker's chest.

"You don't find this weird? At all?" Chris mumbled quietly, breaking their peaceful silence as he always did.

"I've been in relationships before, Chris. As I said, I have no problem with fucking a hero," Chris could hear the smirk in his voice as he said this and realized it was Wesker's version of a joke, unlike before.

"Yeah well I have a bit of a problem being in a relationship with a villain," Chris muttered, taking on his hero role rather well.

"You weren't complaining earlier and you had quite a few chances."

"I guess but before, I was just being technical; You're a mercenary now, not exactly a villain, you know?" Chris snorted and Wesker chuckled.

"I suppose, pet," Wesker wasn't stupid enough to tell Chris there were no sides when you were a mercenary and he listened to whoever paid him to listen.

Chris had a strong urge to push the man off the bed but refrained and, instead, found himself asleep soon after.

* * *

**RING.**

Chris groaned and rolled over, suddenly feeling rather cold and empty though not necessarily awake enough to care.

**RING.**

Chris groaned again but this time, opened his eyes slightly, waiting for the loud noise that was bothering him to happen again.

**RING.**

The phone.

Chris reached out and grabbed it, putting the annoying this to his ear.

"Mm-hello?" He muttered.

"Chris? Hi! I'm sorry, did I wake you?" The voice on the other end of the line sounded awfully familiar to the brunet but he simply couldn't pinpoint it in his exhausted state. He sat up, shaking his head until he realized the woman couldn't see him.

"N-No. Well, yeah, but it's fine. Um who-?"

"Oh! Right, sorry, this is Margo from the precinct, Claire's friend. We met a few days ago, remember?"

"Y-Yeah, of course," Chris yawned out and glanced at the time.

7:15.

"Does the office need help?" Chris asked and heard a giggle as a response.

"No, no. Today's my day off and Claire suggested we spend the day together. You know, just to get to know each other a little?"

"That sounds great, really, but I-" Chris looked beside him and realized Wesker was gone.

_His mission. Right._

"Actually-" He sighed and stared at the empty spot beside him. "-Yeah, alright. We can hang out today. Is Claire joining us?"

"Not until later, unfortunately."

Margo told Chris to meet him at a shopping center at around ten and the two said their goodbyes. Chris considered calling his sister but decided against it as he laid down and tried for several more hours of sleep before he had to get up.

**RING.**

Chris groaned again and grabbed for the phone.

"What?" He answered.

"Someone's grumpy."

"Claire, why are you calling at-" Chris looked up. "Seven thirty in the morning? Better yet, why are you telling yours friends to call me this early in the morning?"

"I thought you might be lonely today and Margo suggested we all go out for lunch. Since I had to work, she was perfectly fine with just spending some time with you and before you ask, I've already set her straight so you don't have to feel pressured and-"

"I've already said yes. Can I go back to sleep now?"

"Oh, you did? Alright then, get your precious sleep. Oh, before you go-" Chris groaned. "-I spoke to Jill. They've got quite a few teams searching through Africa looking for Wesker but she hasn't had any luck."

"I wonder why," Chris muttered sarcastically and he heard Claire sigh.

"Yeah well Sheva's convinced he's left the country. In fact, they started questioning me. They asked if you've been acting different lately and what I think about the situation," Claire said, worry lacing her words.

"What did you say?" Chris asked carefully.

"I said you were angry at them and I think what they're doing is wrong. I told them that you were acting normal and I was giving you the support that they should be giving which made Jill feel pretty bad, I think."

"Anything else?"

"No. I tried asking when they'd want you back but the entire organization has heard about the incident and its gotten really out of hand. Jill is in over her head because she was in the same position so now they're questioning her loyalty and it's just a terrible mess. Sheva's already dealing with the African division but Jill really needs help in the European one. She asked me to come back and assist but I refused. I told her it was for work but I'm honestly a bit upset with her too," Claire said and Chris smiled.

"Thanks Claire, that means a lot."

* * *

"Chris! Over here!"

Chris looked up to see Margo waving over at him from the entrance of the mall. She, like him, was wearing a pair of jeans and a black tank top. Her brown hair was down, her long hair reaching the middle of her back, and she was clinging to a small purse. Chris waved back and made his way across the parking lot, greeting her with a small smile as she beamed at him with bright brown eyes.

"It's good to see you again, Chris. How've you been?" She asked before motioning towards the entrance. He nodded and the two made their way in.

The mall itself was only two stories but stretched out to have quite a number of stores. Chris was never one who enjoyed shopping much but he figured spending time with a coworker would help him fit in at his new job, volunteer or not.

"Fine, things have just been a little hectic lately," Chris said truthfully.

"Oh yeah, Claire told me about that," Chris stopped and blinked at her. Margo stopped and turned on her heel, looking at him. "O-Oh no, don't get me wrong. She didn't actually tell me anything. She just explained that your work schedule is clashing with your personal life and everything is a little complicated right now. Believe me, I totally get it."

Chris took a deep breath and nodded absentmindedly. He didn't exactly expect his sister to run off and tell her friend everything but he didn't expect Claire to try to play matchmaker either- his sister really was unpredictable sometimes.

"I'm assuming you know what's been happening in the B.S.A.A lately?"

"A little," Margo responded as they began walking again. "I used to work with Claire but when things for the police office were getting crazy, I offered to help them permanently. Since then, I've been kept out of the loop of the anti-bioterrorist organizations. Last I heard, Africa was being targeted for black market deals that were pretty serious."

"You aren't too far behind then," Chris responded and she laughed, shaking her head.

"I guess not. Claire tries to keep me updated but most of it is pretty top secret government information," Margo suddenly stopped and grabbed Chris's upper arm. "There's a place here that you might enjoy. I just remembered- Come on!"

She suddenly took off, pulling the confused male along with her. Eventually, Chris had taken to running on his own and they were weaving around and through people, yelling back apologies whenever they had the misfortune of hitting someone. They had run to the opposite end of the mall where most people seemed to avoid. They were both panting but laughing and Chris, looking around, finally asked-

"What exactly were you-"

"Here," Margo pointed to a store that was completely blocked off. There were no windows and the door was completely tinted. If it hadn't been for the large sign that read 'shooting range', Chris never would have guessed the place was even open.

"Indoor shooting range… at a mall?"

"It's not very popular but this is where most of the officers hang out," she said as they approached the door.

* * *

To Chris' surprise, they didn't need to pay for their elongated time due to Margo's acquaintance with the owner and the two simply spent time shooting different types of guns that were available. They talked, laughed, and bonded quite a bit. Margo learned that Chris indeed lived up to his old title as sharpshooter and Chris learned that Margo was better than most at the precinct.

It was nearly five by the time they realized the day was half gone and they agreed to get something to eat. Rather than spending time in the food court surrounded by all the people, they decided it was best to slip into one of the lesser crowded, though more expensive, restaurants and settled on sharing a meal. The restaurant itself was fancy, especially for being inside of a mall, and the two of them sat in one of the booths that lined the walls. The seats were maroon red while the tables had marble murals of Italian art depicted into them.

"Claire was right, you two are really alike," Margo said with a quiet laugh just after the waiter took their orders.

"Yeah, just not the same taste in guys, apparently," It had come up several times throughout the day that Chris was dating (he didn't correct her) a man and apparently, Claire had made it very clear that she wasn't happy about it.

"You should hear her talk about him; It's almost like he's abusive or- Oh no, he isn't, is he? Damn, I'm sorry, forget I said anyth-"

Chris let out a laugh and shook his head, thanking the waiter as he returned with their beverages.

"No, it's nothing like that. Claire has every right to be cautious. He is just-"

"According to her, he's terrible."

"Is that all you two talked about last night? My relationship?" Chris asked, internally feeling a shiver run up his spine at the word.

"When Claire gets a little tipsy, she can rant forever about things. Last night, it was you. Well, Albert to be specific."

Chris almost burst out laughing.

"Albert?"

"That's his name, right? Claire kept calling him by his last name, 'Whisker', but eventually I had to ask if that was his real name. She said it was just his last name and his first name was Albert. That's right, isn't it?"

Chris, again, almost burst out laughing.

"His last name is Wesker but yeah, that's his first name; It's just… Nobody refers to him by that," Chris explained simply, a smile on his lips.

"Wesker, huh? Sounds sexy," she giggled and Chris snorted. "Albert sounds so much more normal, though. I don't understand why you wouldn't just use that."

"Wesker isn't normal. Besides, it just sort of played out like that. If he hadn't been my captain-"

"Your cap- In S.T.A.R.S?!"

Chris really hadn't meant to say that. He truly, sincerely, hadn't. It simply slipped out and he was suddenly caught with an utterly shocked young woman in front of him who looked as if she was about to explode with questions.

"Y-Yeah. We have quite a strange past," Chris muttered and Margo nodded.

"I bet. So is that why Claire doesn't trust him? Your past?"

"Yes, that's exactly it. She was there, she saw most of it and none of it was nice. I suppose our relationship is another thing that sort of just played out strangely. Hell, I didn't even know I was into guys but my attraction to women never went away," Chris shrugged.

"Claire will be happy to hear that. She really wants us together, you know. I learned all about you while you were gone. She told me about your time in the military and your S.T.A.R.S days- I have to say it was really impressive," She said just as her phone began to ring.

"Thanks but it really wasn't as great as it sounds," Chris muttered as she pulled her phone out absentmindedly. "A lot of people were lost in Raccoon City including most of S.T.A.R.S."

"Oh I know, it was a terrible tragedy," she said sadly, her phone in her hand but her eyes on Chris. "I just meant-"

"I know," Chris smiled and nodded to her phone. "Who was that?"

"Oh, It's Claire," Margo said before reading the text. "I guess she's here. Hold on-"

* * *

A short phone call and food order change later, Claire was sitting beside Margo chatting away with her female friend while her brother sat across from her, listening intently at their conversation. They were simply talking about her day and a mutual friend who Chris hadn't even caught the name of but it was nice for the male. He liked seeing his sister so happy in her workplace and it was a mundane sort of happiness but a happiness nonetheless.

"So what did you two do all day?"

And so, they went into a conversation about there day and ended just as the food arrived.

"Margo thought Wesker's name was 'Whisker'," Chris said causing Claire to laugh mid drink and choke slightly on the contents.

"I wonder what he would do if I called him Whisker the next time I spoke to him," Claire said absentmindedly after recovering, a napkin in her now drenched lap as she had spilled soda all over herself.

"You never speak to him so it could be quite a while," Chris muttered and Claire shot him a dangerous glance.

"You really don't like him, do you, Claire?" Margo asked carefully before taking bites into her Italian pizza that she and Chris had decided to split.

"You could say that," She muttered before doing the same to her spaghetti.

"That must be a little difficult for you to handle, Chris. I mean your sister, who you love, hating the man that you potentially-"

"Hey!" Both Claire and Chris snapped causing Margo to stop talking almost immediately.

"Right, sorry. I shouldn't be getting into it," Margo said quickly, visibly inching away from Claire and against the inner part of the booth.

"Oh stop it, you know how I am about _him_ and Chris is a pretty pigheaded guy so he's never going to be able to accept his feelings," Claire said, nudging her with a smile.

"You really give me no credit, do you?" Chris asked causing Claire to stick her tongue out at him.

It really was as if they were teenagers again but it seemed that's how they acted whenever they were given the chance to hang out together. They were siblings after all and it came naturally when they were in relaxed settings. It was almost nearly the same when they were forced into a serious situation; Their sibling feelings would take over and they could easily be the best partners to each other- something that was easily proved on Rockfort Island.

"Oh! I almost forgot. The office will need you tomorrow, Chris. I hope that's alright. I was supposed to call you tomorrow but since we're here," she trailed off and Chris nodded.

"Yeah, one early morning phone call is enough, thank you," he muttered and Claire laughed.

"You know, you used to be a morning person," Claire said absentmindedly as she nibbled into her food.

"That was before I had someone keeping me up at night," Chris snapped playfully causing Claire to groan.

"Oh come on, don't tell me thaaaaat," she whined, dropping her fork with a clatter onto her plate.

"Oh really?" Margo asked scandalously causing Claire to glare at her.

"You are not going to get my brother to talk about his sex life in front of me, thank you very much!" she snapped almost desperately and Chris laughed.

"Relax, Claire. I have no intention on telling either one of you anything about my relationship life."

"Aww," Margo sighed and turned to Claire. "Oh, have you told Chris about that guy you've been dating?"

"MARGO!" Claire said desperately, her voice going well above what it should have in a public location.

"Sorry, sorry! I thought you would have told him. You two are just so close and-"

"You're dating someone? Who is he?" Chris asked, big brother instincts flaring as Claire continued to glare at her friend.

"Oh, I'm sure you've seen him! He a police officer at-"

"MARGO!"

"Oh, sorry. Forget I said anything," she muttered and returned to her food earning a very desperate look from Claire which she promptly either ignored or simply didn't see.

"Yeah, like he's going to just forget that," Claire muttered and Chris frowned.

Despite what was said, Chris agreed to forget it and added a warning that when the time came for Claire to introduce them, he would simply turn into 'overly protective older brother Chris'. Claire was perfectly fine with that and the relaxed conversation continued until they were all finished with their meals.

"Well _Albert_ should be back by now," Chris said, glancing at his phone and stressing Wesker's first name, successfully receiving a sneer from Claire.

"Ugh, Albert," she groaned. "I think I'll just stick to calling him 'Wesker'," Claire muttered, standing up. "But I should go too."

"You two are so weird. It feels so formal to call him by his last name, doesn't it? I mean, he isn't your captain anymore so why not-"

"It's a personal thing, Margo," Claire said with a sigh. "Even I don't really understand it but it's just how it works, I guess."

"If I ever meet this guy, I'm calling him by his name. Maybe even 'Al' for short." Margo mused.

"Margo, if you ever meet him and feel the need to call him 'Al', then by all means do so," Claire said with a chuckle as Chris held back a laugh.

* * *

Walking into his dark apartment momentarily worried Chris. He frowned and flipped on a switch, tossing his keys on the counter after shutting the door behind him.

"Wesker?"

It wasn't a very loud call but it was a call nonetheless. The brunet looked down the hall and was surprised to see it dark throughout the house. He made his way through the apartment, checking the very few rooms they had before ending up on the balcony- No Wesker in sight.

Chris checked his cellphone and sighed at the time.

8:34

It was still early, especially for mercenary mission standards so Chris simply turned on his heel and entered their bedroom, eyeing the discarded duffle bag in the corner.

_Everything hurt. His back was aching horribly, his entire right side was in pain, his leg was throbbing and on the verge of being completely numb. He could hear the faint sound of fire crackling and finally willed himself to open his eyes. The first thing he noticed was the scattered plane parts surrounding him. He didn't try to sit up, he simply laid there, looking around to the things that were in his line of vision._

_The crackling fire sound was from the plane they had been on. It was in large pieces scattered around him while a good chunk of it sat in the middle of a lava pool. He blinked at the molten hot magma and looked around further. Sheva was nearby him, though unconscious, and they were safely on an island in the middle of all the lava._

_Groaning, he began trying to sit up, his back practically screeching at him to stop. He ignored it, stupidly, and sat on his knees, his right leg immediately giving out forcing him to lean on his left leg instead. He did a once over on his arms, seeing open, bleeding wounds but nothing serious._

_Now the question was, where was Wesker?_

When Chris finally awoke, he was on the floor telling him that Wesker was still not there and that his memory was still making its way back to him. He groaned, holding his head as it was currently pounding in the dimly lit room. He looked up and over the bed, his eyes landing on the clock.

10:48

He'd been unconscious for quite some time and the later it got, the more worry grew in Chris. He waited a moment before standing up, letting himself fall onto the empty bed as he was hit with a dizzy spell.

"Damnit Wesker, where are you?"


	22. Future

Waking up the following morning to the loud sound of an alarm was not a very nice start to a day. What made it even worse was the lack of blond that was supposed to be beside Chris upon waking up. Sighing, the brunet sat up and looked around the dark room tiredly. He hadn't gotten much sleep throughout the night, mostly due to Wesker's absence but his still missing memory had quite a bit to do with it as well, and even now, his alarm had gone off far earlier than it should have- it was nearly five according to his phone and he was to be at the precinct at ten.

Yet, he still had no interest in sleep.

He slipped out of bed, a low stinging in his lower back telling him he probably shouldn't have run around a mall yesterday with Margo so soon after having his first ever experience with gay sex. He frowned at the thought as Wesker's vanishing still plagued his mind- where could the blond be?

Chris was in no way worried that Wesker was hurt or possibly worse. Wesker was a God, in his own words, and could back it up in competition with any human that wasn't Chris. Sure, Chris hadn't killed him in Africa but he had been good enough to wound him so severely that Wesker had to recreate a whole new serum to keep himself alive- that certainly boosted the brunet's ego now that Wesker was no longer in mortal danger.

Chris shuffled through his house, turning on lights as he went to reassure that he didn't trip over anything in the dark. Eventually, he made it to his kitchen where he began to make a pot of coffee. He pulled himself onto the counter, sitting still rather awkwardly as the coffee maker began doing its job.

The memory from the night before haunted him in more ways than one. What more was there left to remember? What had happened after that moment that his subconscious was so eager to hide from him? Chris chuckled bitterly and realized that was a stupid question. The reason his memory was so limited was easily due to the head trauma he received from the crash but short-term memory loss just seemed too simple. While in Wesker's 'care' (much easier than saying 'prisoner'), the blond seemed to have a control on what he would remember because Wesker knew what Chris had forgotten. That made it easier for him to allow Chris to remember whatever he wished, simply by mentioning it.

If this was Chris' subconscious keeping these memories from him, then Wesker would have absolutely no control and Chris probably would still be very far behind on catching up with his lost memories.

A quiet beeping pulled Chris from his overactive thoughts and forced him to pour himself a cup of coffee, not bothering to add anything to it as he grabbed the full mug and went to sit on his couch.

* * *

Waking up to a loud ringing sound was, again, not a very good start to the day.

Chris groaned and sat up; His half empty cup of coffee sat discarded on the table in front of him and the loud ringing announced itself as the door as the doorbell sounded again. Chris sat up, looking at the time quickly before horror set in.

12:15

"Aren't you going to answer that?!" A call came from the bedroom, causing Chris to absolutely freeze.

"W-Wesker?"

The doorbell sounded again and Chris shook his head, opening it quickly to see a Margo standing in the doorway.

"You didn't pick up the phone and now I'm using my lunch break to make sure you aren't dead because I seriously didn't expect you to be the type to- are you listening to me?" Margo asked, eyeing the brunet who was backing away from the door to peek down the hallway.

"U-Uh yeah, Margo. Sorry, I know I'm late. I just- W-Wesker?"

"What is it, Chris?" The blond called back, annoyance in his voice.

A loud gasping noise from behind him caused Chris to jump and spin around to see Margo smiling and shutting the door.

"Albert is here? Can I meet him?"

"U-Uh, I really don't think now would be a-"

"Now, Chris, don't be rude. Introduce me," Wesker's voice came much closer.

Chris turned to see Wesker standing, shirtless, in the entrance to the hallway. He wore nothing besides loose sweatpants but his hair was perfectly in place and he was even lacking his sunglasses.

"You must be Albert! I'm Margo, a friend of Chris and Claire," she said with a smile, pushing past Chris to hold out her hand. Wesker chuckled and exchanged a look with Chris before accepting the hand though momentarily.

"I am. Chris, may I speak with you?" Chris nodded quickly before following him into the bedroom, Margo shouting after him to hurry. The moment the two had reached their bedroom, Wesker turned only to be completely silenced by Chris' lips on his. Wesker smirked into the kiss, his hands setting on either side of Chris' hips, allowing the brunet to wrap his arms around the blond in an embrace. "I was gone for a single day, Chris. I'm a bit late due to some payment issues but it's really no need to warrant this."

"I know, I know. It's stupid and I'm pathetic. Last night I had another memory flash," Chris muttered and Wesker's smirk faded quickly.

"What haven't you remembered?"

"I really wish I could answer that."

"I suppose you'll remember in due time," Wesker answered simply causing Chris to sigh. "Now, about this Margo woman-"

"She called you Al Whisker yesterday," Chris muttered absentmindedly as he was deathly focused on his lost memories.

"She what?"

"Come on, Chris!" Margo's voice came.

"Oh shit," Chris hissed, pulling off his shirt and rushing past Wesker to his closet. "Give me a second, Wesker won't get off of me!" He called to her desperately, shooting Wesker an apologetic look over his shoulder.

"What?" Wesker hissed from across the room.

"Now isn't the time! My job is on the line!" She called back, though a small giggle sat behind the words.

"She thinks we're normal. Shut up and go along with it," Chris muttered to Wesker as he pulled on a pair of pants while also, simultaneously, tried pulling on shoes as well.

"No, I'm going to sleep," Wesker said clearly, sitting on the bed. "I don't understand how you managed to befriend her," he muttered as he slipped underneath the comforter.

"You're just mad because she called you Al Whisker," Chris taunted as he finally managed to get himself dressed.

"A bit, yes."

"Will you be home when I get back?"

"Most likely," Wesker retorted.

"Good," was Chris' ending word as he rushed out of the room.

* * *

Chris didn't see much of Margo the remainder of the day. With his skills, he was sent out to patrol on his own as their understaffed workforce wasn't able to provide him with a partner. He was perfectly fine with it and did as he was told despite the fact that the chief seemed unaware that he wasn't accustom to doing work like this. It was surprisingly how different police work was compared to being in S.T.A.R.S let alone the B.S.A.A.

S.T.A.R.S was based around large missions and the B.S.A.A was mostly focused around keeping the world safe so it was constant surveillance. Being a police officer is everything- upkeeping laws that Chris was vaguely familiar about and looking for things he wasn't use to looking for, everything was just different. Luckily, Chris was able to adapt quickly and he was soon ticketing someone for running a red light.

Several hours later, Chris was returning to the precinct due to being called in by radio and was soon doing paperwork beside Margo who was unnaturally quiet.

"Everything okay?" Chris asked, stamping the chief's signature on something before setting it in a pile for him to sign officially.

"Yeah, sure. I just remembered you'll have to go back to the B.S.A.A eventually. I mean, you've only been here twice but we're already catching up on piled up paperwork. I mean, while you patrolled, half the officers were doing things that they were suppose to have done weeks ago but they had no time and it's just going to be stressful again," Margo sighed as she stopped typing and looked at Chris who returned the look. "Plus, it's nice to have a friend here."

"I won't be going back anytime soon, you shouldn't worry too much. Besides, I'm not entirely sure I want to go back," Chris muttered with a sigh.

"Really? I thought you loved your job."

"I did, as did Jill Valentine but Jill is losing control and everything is a mess. Nobody wants me back and after what happened- I just... I don't know. I'm losing my drive."

"To protect the world?"

"No, my drive was my friends and Claire, of course, but my friends were why I fought for the world. Without them, I have Claire by my side and now Wesker- I could do some good here, too. The B.S.A.A would be fine without me," Chris said with a shrug causing Margo to frown.

"The B.S.A.A wouldn't even exist without you."

"But it does and now maybe I should move on. I'm not saying I've made a decision- I'm just thinking out loud. Everything will work out," Chris said with an unconvincing shrug.

"I think that's my line," Margo said with a light chuckle.

"I think you can say it in a more convincing way," Chris muttered with a small smile.

"Everything will work out. Don't you worry, Chris," Margo said before putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

* * *

"Wesker?" Chris called, walking into his apartment. He tossed his keys on the counter and looked into the hallway to see the bedroom light on. "I'm back," he called towards the light, toeing off his shoes.

"Rather late, aren't you?" Wesker's voice sounded before the blond appeared in the doorway.

"A little. I covered a few shifts so the officers could catch up on some work," Chris explained, walking towards the man.

"What's the matter?" Wesker asked, eyeing the brunet when Chris reached him.

"What do you mean?" Chris asked before Wesker crossed his arms and arched a brow.

"You're bothered with something. If you don't wish to talk about it then don't but do not try to deceive me," Wesker said as Chris stalked past him.

"I'm not lying, I just asked what you meant," Chris snorted humorously. "No, there's nothing wrong- Someone asked earlier if I planned on leaving soon but I don't know if I want to leave. What does Europe have that I don't have here? The B.S.A.A is doing fine without me, Claire is here, the police officers are in desperate need of help and then of course this. I just- I don't know," Chris sighed, pulling off his shirt before tossing it into the corner.

"Not to forget, you are still recovering from a concussion," Wesker added. "You really shouldn't have been moving around so much hours after awakening," he scolded.

"I shouldn't- You're the one who threw me on a car!"

"And I could have thrown that car onto you. If you ask me, I was being generous," Wesker muttered, his arms crossing indignantly over his chest.

"You are unbelievable," Chris said after a long pause.

Wesker didn't respond and simply shrugged at the look Chris was giving him. The loud ring from the phone pulled Chris from the glare and he bent over to grab the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Chris, did I wake you?" Jill's voice asked though hesitantly.

"Yes, what do you want?" Chris asked stiffly.

"I was just calling to see how you were. It's odd, Wesker just vanished and- well, we're just worried."

"We? You and Sheva?"

"The B.S.A.A. They're all worried."

"Wesker is in hiding, as he should be if he has the entire B.S.A.A and whatever organization you guys are working with now that Tricell is gone after him, so yeah they should be worried because you guys won't find him. Instead, you're wasting time trying to find him when there are bigger threats out there-" a quiet mumble from Wesker told Chris that the blond didn't agree but Chris continued. "-and just- what the hell are you calling for, Jill?"

"Do you know how difficult it is running a whole organization without you? Trying to keep an eye on everything, commanding teams and-"

"But you still don't want me back?"

"I have no choice in the matter, Chris! If I did, you never would have left!"

"Yes, I believed you needed a few days off after what you went through but sending you back to the United States was not up to me and now the B.S.A.A members seem to think we have everything under control but we don't!" Jill, at this point, sounded as if she was on the verge of tears which said something for the blond. Jill Valentine was a strong person and she was slowly being broken apart between her team and her best friend.

Chris was quiet for a few moments, both ends of the phone silent as he contemplated what he should do. He sighed, looked to Wesker who was watching him from across the room, and spoke.

"Then stop hiding everything from them," Chris said calmly despite the mixed feelings bubbling inside of him. "Tell them the truth, your opinion- Take control of them and get some sleep because from the sound of your voice you haven't slept in days."

"I haven't, really," Jill muttered.

"Then do that."

"Thanks, Chris. How is everything?"

"Difficult. I'm going back to sleep," Chris said quickly and he heard a sigh from her end.

"Good-" Chris had already hung up.

Wesker eyed him, an eyebrow raised as Chris replaced the wireless phone on the charger and glanced at the blond.

"What?" Chris snapped, standing up as he had sat when he answered the call.

"I thought you were angry at her," Wesker said simply.

"I am," Chris grumbled out.

"You counsel those you're angry with?"

"Jill is different. I thought you didn't care," Chris shot back, crossing his arms.

"Oh, don't mistake my questioning. I simply find it entertaining," Wesker shrugged and exited the room. Chris sighed and began changing into his night clothes, his head suddenly pounding with a headache.

* * *

The following days were filled with Wesker in and out of the house, Chris taking much notice despite being called to work every day. As Chris proved that he could do many of the police officers' jobs, the precinct worked him as backup to everyone else while they finished their work- something that took time but was helpful nonetheless.

Chris was able to see Claire a few times but TerraSave was busy trying to assist the B.S.A.A in tracking Wesker which told Chris that Jill had ignored most of what he had said which wasn't surprising.

"She probably looked into it as a way for me to protect you," Chris muttered towards Wesker. A week had gone by and he was sitting in the living room with his boyfriend (nope, still didn't feel right) and his sister.

"Well you are-"

"Claire, I didn't tell her that to protect him."

"Should I begin looking for another place to stay?" Wesker asked from his corner of the room that was a bit farther from the siblings, something that made Claire a bit more comfortable.

"Yes," the female redhead muttered under her breath.

"No, I was going to say I didn't tell Jill that just to protect you, Wesker. I'm not misleading her and if she was to ask anyone with any sort of knowledge of Wesker, they would tell her the same thing."

"But nobody knows Wesker like you do," Claire said with a frown.

"Jill does," Chris muttered.

"Perhaps I should leave for this conversation?"

"I don't know why you're here in the first place," Claire muttered as Wesker stood.

"I could say the same for you as this has been the first mutual work-free day for both of us and I much would have preferred it be spent in bed," Wesker said clearly, eyeing Chris who was avoiding eye contact with his sister. "Simply a suggestion, Chris."

Wesker then strode through the room and into the hallway, Claire now staring wide eyed at her brother. Chris slowly looked at her, a nervous smile implanted on his face.

"H-He's just doing it to piss you off," Chris muttered in a quiet defense.

"And. It's. Working." Claire's words were sharp and deadly as she spoke, her face reddening in anger.

"M-Maybe you should l-"

"ARE YOU REALLY GOING TO THROW ME OUT TO HAVE SEX WITH WESKER?" She snapped, standing up quickly. " I thought we were going to talk about what you were going to do when the time came for you to leave because believe it or not, Chris, it's coming up!"

"Well, we have time and this is my day off. Wesker has a long trip coming up and-"

"Chris, don't act like they're business trips. He's going on missions, most likely illegal and most likely deadly."

"You don't think I know that? It's a long step from what he was before, isn't it?" Chris asked causing Claire to roll her eyes and sigh angrily.

"You're getting too attached," she whispered. "He told you not to trust him!"

"I'm not. I know where the line is, Claire."

"There can't be a relationship without trust," Claire said quietly.

"Claire, I know. Don't worry, I'm working on it."

"Chris, look, I get that it's easier to turn your back on everything that Wesker is doing because of your anger at the B.S.A.A but don't let your guard down and don't get attached."

"I'm already attached, we've been over that, but my guard is always up."

Claire sighed and began for the front door, a frown planted on her lips as Chris slowly followed her.

"I'll be back after work tomorrow to continue this conversation," Claire muttered before leaving.

And despite his words, Chris knew she was right. Claire was always right and so was Wesker and both of them were telling him the same thing- yet he couldn't help it. He trusted Wesker, to an extent, and knew even that was bad but he was very aware of his fear of Wesker simply leaving him and that made him cling to the blond in terrible ways.

Chris was a lot more lost than he was putting on and yet again he found himself with nobody to talk to about it.


End file.
